The Language of Flowers
by Moony92
Summary: -Itachi x Usagi- On a whim, the Uchiha prodigy wanders into the Yamanaka Flower Shop.
1. Thornless Rose

**1. Thornless Rose**

**Dedications :** To _**Cygnea**_, who always manages to create meaningful one-shots that I thoroughly and utterly take pleasure in reading, and is so decent as to reply to my incessant babbling reviews. Thanks. ;)

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"_Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into."__– Henry Beecher, Life Thoughts _

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It was early in the morning, a few hours after daybreak, and a rare moment of lull settled over Konoha that created the false impression that all was right with the world. Nature's very own genjutsu, in a manner of speaking.

That day, Itachi had wanted nothing more than to be alone and away from the responsibilities and certainty that he was tied to his Clan like a supposedly devoted dog. He liked to avoid the feeling of bitter, bitter disdain for his own family as often as he could. Very frequently he was fed so much propaganda by his sensei and his own conflicting judgment, that it was becoming more and more insufferable.

One would say he was playing hooky, but he preferred the term _postponing current duties for an understandable moment of leisure_. Which was exactly why he had chose to enter the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Itachi was certain no one would've ever suspected him there, of all places.

A cozy jingle sounded when he pushed open the door to the relatively empty shop, and a soothingly cool air-conditioned draft pressed against him. It had been summer at the time, so whatever form of cooling was appreciated.

He entered cautiously, surrounded by colorful sweet-smelling flowers of many elaborate shapes and sizes. The femininity of his surroundings made him vaguely disgruntled, and he instinctively placed his ANBU mask over his face for fear that he may be recognized.

"Good morning, welcome to the Yamanaka Flower Shop!"

He was only somewhat mildly surprised, but his catlike mask remained stoic as he turned to face the stranger.

The first feature he immediately noticed about the florist was that she was a girl, obviously. The second startling discovery was her large blue eyes, which stared at him with more perky delight than he'd expected from a person he hardly even knew. She was blonde, flowing knee-length pigtails dangling from two perfectly spherical buns at either side of her head, and she was small, nearly a head shorter than him.

Itachi narrowed his eyes as he regarded her.

She smiled up at him, didn't seem deterred at all by his appearance and obvious ninja rank, wearing a purple apron (which, upon closer inspection, had tiny rabbits decorated around the hem) over a peach yellow sundress with an empire waistline.

"May I help you?" She offered accommodatingly, putting away the bouquet of florescent yellow buttercups she had been arranging to give him her full attention. She stepped out of the reception desk and made a motion to go to him.

"No," he responded flatly. The tone of his voice made her stop, looking disappointingly unwanted. For some reason, he felt the need to explain, "I'll just be looking around, if you don't mind…" He paused, and then briefly added, as an afterthought, "Thank you."

She smiled genuinely, small and sweet, "Okay."

Itachi wandered the flower shop uselessly, for the most part feeling completely out of place since he didn't have any particular interests in flowers. However, he couldn't help noticing the Yamanaka florist (he wasn't going to just stare at flowers, surely).

She busied herself with tending to the highly structured collection of flora coating the aisles and dangling over the ceiling. She worked with a bounce in her step and a smile on her face. Her genial act may have only been a front because a customer was present, but she seemed startlingly genuine and he was curious as to what made her so energetic at such an inadequate occupation.

Itachi may have been a shinobi of extraordinary genjutsu and prodigious insight, but he was decidedly ignorant when it came to artistic talent. He had no particular eye for art, whether it was floral arrangement or something as simple as paintings. The Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai only manipulated precise imitation, there was no regard for beauty or creativity in that particular skill.

The blonde florist, however, seemed to have possessed an innovative talent for floral art. She arranged bouquets and floral decoration in a way that was attractive and elaborate, and even he was aware of their uniqueness in spite of his utter lack of interest for artistic capacity and flowers in general.

Itachi knew her professionally; she was a year older or so than him, eldest daughter of Inoichi Yamanaka and, for this reason, heiress to the Yamanaka Clan. She was an elder sister to Ino, whom was a schoolmate of his own little brother, Sasuke. He had vaguely acknowledged her because of that, and was perceptive enough to know that she practically stalked the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. But that was as far as their association with each other went. Because he was the future head of the Uchiha Clan, and therefore would supposedly turn out to be head of the Leaf Police, it was to be expected that a young man of his stature would be well-informed about the society he protected.

Personally, however, he knew nothing about her. Itachi wondered if this was because she may not have been particularly spectacular, otherwise he may have taken a little notice if she had had any honed skill. But he was jumping to conclusions—it was a habit of his, being so naturally perceptive.

He did not know her name. But, once conscious of that particular problem, he intended to find out. After a moment of debating, Itachi decided that outright asking her about it would be less troublesome.

"What's your name?" He asked her.

The reaction he got could have been amusing to anyone, but it was different for him. Her back had been turned to him, and she had been carrying a round terracotta pot of autumn blush coreopsis. The moment he had spoken, she had let out a startled "_Meep_!" and flung the pot in the air. She would have fallen in a heap if not for his quick reflexes.

He caught her almost at once, one arm firmly around her waist and propping her up. Her head was on his shoulder and she had flinched when he calculatingly caught the pot of coreopsis with his other hand inches before it could hit the floor. It occurred to him then that maybe he should have approached her in a less unexpected manner.

"Wow! That was _amazing_!" She blurted, unable to reserve her astonishment. When he glanced down at her, she looked away, visibly blushing, and apologized sheepishly, "S-sorry! Ugh, I'm such a klutz…t-thank you very much though!"

When she attempted to withdraw herself away from his arm, Itachi made no move to help her up, but he did not try to stop her either. She quickly took the terracotta pot out of his hand and cradled it in her arms, against her chest, bowing to him in gratitude.

"Thank you again," she said, straightening up to shoot him a coy smile.

Itachi responded with a curt nod.

"I thought you were gone," she admitted, giggling sheepishly, "It was so quiet in here! I thought that, being a shinobi and all, you were able to leave without me noticing. Sorry again!"

She wasn't particularly observant, he discovered, which was uncanny for a shinobi. He was beginning to question if she was even a ninja at all. "There's no need to apologize," He ordered tonelessly, a little bothered by her incessant need to behave contritely, "I had startled you, after all."

She snapped her fingers together, a look of realization dawning on her. "That's right, you had asked me a question! What was it again?"

Itachi wondered if this blonde florist was even worth knowing. She didn't seem particularly special, with the exception of her moderate attractiveness and obviously kind heart, but such things were considered trivial and hardly ever useful amongst shinobi. "Your name…" he admitted, even though grudgingly.

"Oh…" She blinked, a strawberry red flush blossoming from her cheeks, "It's Usagi."

Itachi almost snorted. Almost. He had managed to restrain himself with little effort. "Thank you," he told her, purely out of courtesy.

"Thank you, too," She replied, biting the plump crescent of her bottom lip. She looked like she was contemplating something, and then, "What's _your_ name?"

It seemed absurd for her to ask something like that of him. He wore the signature ANBU mask and flowing hooded cloak, artifacts of his jounin apparel which signified the imperative value of discretion. "Uchiha Itachi," he informed noncommittally, after a rather lengthy moment of silence. She was being bold, and he decided there was no harm in humoring her.

The effect was rather embarrassing on her part. Somehow, the pot in her hands slipped right through her fingers, and it shattered loudly as it hit the floor. Shards of terracotta, coreopsis and black soil exploded everywhere. "AH!" She wailed and unceremoniously dropped to her knees in attempt to salvage the plant, "Papa will be so _mad_!"

Itachi observed her for a moment, it was almost revolting how childish and easily upset she had gotten over such meager plant life. With a noncommittal grunt, he kneeled down and began to assist her.

She flinched at his proximity, and sniffled, letting out a mortified whimper. "I'm s…so s-sorry, Uchiha-san!" She stammered, peering up at him as flickering tears fringed the corner of her all-encompassing blue eyes and gave the illusion that they were trembling.

Itachi raised his eyebrow in a sharp arch, wondering just why this girl acted as if he'd take her into custody and throw her into prison for no good reason. She was being irrational, as far as he could tell. He simply grunted, and she bowed her head again in despair.

His fingertips abruptly brushed over her quivering knuckles. He had initially been reaching for a crushed coreopsis that had separated from the disorderly cluster, but was a second later than Usagi, whom apparently had had similar intentions. As it happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment…

And then, the moment was gone.

Usagi withdrew her hand as if she had nearly been burnt, apologizing profusely in a meek voice, hurriedly gathering the cluster of flowers into her arms in an attempt to avoid what had happened. Itachi slowly recoiled his hand into a fist, as if just coming out of a reverie, pursing his lips together into a thin frown. His eyes shifted up to stare at her. She was red in the face, and there was dirt all over the length of her arms, hands, and apron.

She roused herself off the floor and fled, disappearing behind a door at the back of the shop. Itachi did not expect her to return and clean up the mess she'd made.

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**Disclaimer:** _Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto_, whereas _Sailor Moon © __Naoko Takeuchi_

**Author's Babbling:**

For you, _**Cygnea**_! Because I couldn't give you a hug, and that displeased me. So I wrote you this:D I couldn't help it. I had had this idea for a while, but it was only until I read "Nine Talents" that I became truly inspired. If it wasn't for that, I'd have never had the will to continue… I hope I don't sound creepy or the stalker-type! x)

I'm not particularly familiar with Itachi, so if he seems glaringly out of character then I truly apologize. Obviously I still have ways to go before I could write things short yet meaningful like Cygnea-sama. . There are few episodes of Naruto in which Itachi is featured in, and some Usagi**x**Itachi fanfics here that seem to make him friendly or affectionate from the start. But he strikes me as the type to be supercilious (coolly and patronizingly haughty) and yet very subtle, almost graceful in characteristic, and he isn't quick to judge either. But, hey, that's just me.

Why _Itachi x Usagi_? Other authors have tried it, I just wanted to be popular… XD Hah! I'm just kidding. To be honest, the real reason is because the Uchiha brothers have peaked my interests lately, and having Itachi meet Usagi I just couldn't resist. :d

**Acknowledgements: **

The flowers that are mentioned in this story serve a purpose. They imply certain characteristics that identify Usagi's personality, hence the title "The Language of Flowers" (boooo Moony is uncreative D:). The colors of her clothing also signify parts of her personality.

Coreopsis – Always Cheerful  
Buttercups – Childishness  
Purple – magic and mystery, as well as royalty (referring to her history as Princess Serenity, the fact that Itachi knows little about her and, of course, the magical girl anime genre lol)  
Yellow – Joy and happiness

I couldn't find a flower or color that symbolized "boy-crazy" and "clumsy". Hah. At least I tried to stay true to Usagi's character!

Also, there's a quote wedged in there that came from the TV series One Tree Hill. I don't watch soap opera, but that show DOES have awesome dialogue.


	2. Red Carnation

**2. Red Carnation **

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"_Look at us, said the violets blooming at her feet, all last winter we slept in the seeming death but at the right time God awakened us, and here we are to comfort you." —_Edward Payson Rod

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Inoichi Yamanaka was a smart man. He was also a father of two very beautiful, innocent young daughters. He had once been young himself, too, and was glaringly aware of the predatory tendencies in which young men courted potential spouses.

So when his eldest daughter Usagi begged and pleaded for him to let her finally work in front of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, he was _not_ pleased.

For one thing: although she had a flawlessly killer aim with a shuriken, kunai and any other long-ranged weaponry, for some absurd reason she was not the most coordinated young woman when it came to delicate pottery, and tended to trip on nothing. For another: Inoichi would be damned if he had boys swarming the flower shop to visit his eldest daughter, only to have the gall not to buy anything at all. It was surely going to be bad for business! He knew what boys were like, trying to score dates with pretty florists. He had even met his wife that way.

His youngest daughter Ino was no trouble at all, thank goodness, being only eight and far too preoccupied with her own childish ideals to care about boys. Feisty, controlling, and a bit of a tomboy, Ino Yamanaka was fast becoming just like her mother when she'd been her age. Inoichi recalled this with a fearful grimace…

Something came up, and Inoichi was forced to look over a team of genin by request of the Hokage himself. Apparently, their original sensei was severely infected with poison oak after a messy B-class mission in the Forest of Death, and would not be able to be of any use to them for at least until the afternoon. Because of this, he had no choice but to have Usagi take over the shop for the morning shift.

Throughout his entire day as a substitute sensei, he could not help but be preoccupied with thoughts of his eldest daughter and hormonal teenage boys, as well as the fact that it was Usagi's first time working in the front of the shop instead of the back, where it was actually _safe_ from perverted onlookers. Who knows what could've happened in the span of time in which he was not looking after her?

When he returned early in the afternoon, he immediately went to the Yamanaka Flower Shop to check up on her. He noticed one of the pots of coreopsis was missing in its rack, but overall the place looked conveniently spotless. In fact, Usagi was no where to be seen.

"Usagi?" He called, definitely worried now. The sign in front of the entrance to the shop had read _**yes, we're open**_, but the blonde kunoichi didn't seem to be present behind the reception desk or any other aisle.

"Papa?"

He blinked, noticed the noise was slightly muffled, but he was sure it was his daughter. "Usagi, where are you?" He called, growing increasingly puzzled and wary.

"Is he gone?"

Inoichi blinked again, but slowly. "Who's gone—?"

"In here, Papa! I'm in the storage closet!" Usagi interrupted, her muffled voice sounding frantic. The door to the storage room at the back of the shop shuddered as she started rapping against it. "I locked myself in!"

Inoichi almost fell over at that statement, but he composed himself quickly. "Why am I not surprised…" He mumbled, sighing a little overdramatically as he withdrew his shop's skeleton key from the breast pocket of his flak vest. When he opened the door as wide as it would go, he was surprised to see his eldest daughter holding a cluster of coreopsis in her arms, her skin glowing with sweat and dusted over with dirt. She looked dangerously close to tears.

"What the hell…?"

"I'm sorry Papa!" Usagi wailed, floundering into her father's arms. Inoichi embraced her automatically, his paternal instincts compelling him to sooth his panicked little girl before doing anything else. "I'm sorry for the mess I made! I'll clean it up, don't worry!"

Inoichi stared incredulously, "Huh? Usagi, what mess…?"

Usagi stilled, her shoulders no longer shuddering and her whimpers ebbing away. She looked up at him, wide blue eyes twinkling and watery. Inoichi was given the impression of a hurt puppy, temporarily compelled to give her anything in the world so long as it made her happy.

Usagi withdrew away from her father and peered behind him, where she had expected to see the floor that was covered in fine black mineral soil and fragments of terracotta. But the ground was spotless. She crinkled her eyebrows together, mentally trying to sort out the chaos in her head.

"What mess?" Inoichi repeated emphatically, taking hold of her shoulders and steering her closer to him so that he was able to look her in the eyes.

Usagi blinked. "I thought I spilt something…it was these coreopsis." She gestured to the relatively crushed coreopsis in her arms, blushing sheepishly.

Inoichi glanced over his shoulder. "Where's the mess?" He said.

Usagi's blush deepened into a fiery red color. She replied, a little dazedly, "I dunno…"

Inoichi returned his attention to her, peering down at her flushed face, "Sweetheart, you're not making any sense. Have you been in there long?" He frowned as he noticed the flush on her face turned even redder. "Maybe it's the heat," he predicted, mistaking her blush for a sunburn. The storage room had no air conditioner, but it did have a skylight on the roof to keep the plants photosynthesizing.

"I dunno," she repeated dumbly, looking a bit shaken, "but I'll just put these away, okay Daddy?" Inoichi nodded his consent. Usagi carefully reentered the storage room, and this time Inoichi was standing guard by the doorway to make certain she wouldn't be locked in again.

…

"Pass me the rice!" Ino snapped.

Usagi almost jumped out of her seat, stunned out of her reverie. She glanced at her little sister sitting across the low table, whom looked slightly dangerous with her chopsticks pointing at Usagi like that, in spite of her age. "Here you go," she blurted, hastily passing the rice bowl towards the smaller blonde.

Pleased, Ino started shoving rice into her empty bowl. "You've been quiet all evening, Usagi-neechan! You sick or something?" She asked shamelessly, "And you're not even eating a lot! Usually I _never _have seconds, because you end up eating it all!"

Usagi blushed feverishly, her brows drawn and her lips puckered together in an offended pout. Her previous brooding was decidedly gone.

"She's just been a little under the weather. It was her first time working in the front of the shop, and she locked herself in the storage closet," Inoichi insisted, still somewhat concerned for his eldest daughter's well-being. "I still think you shouldn't strain yourself, Usagi-chan!"

"_Dad_!" Usagi blushed severely, "It was an accident, and I'm fine! Just leave it alone…" Miserably, she picked at the bowl of fried beef and rice in front of her with her chopsticks.

Ino laughed uproariously. "Can you _be_ any more predictable, Nee-chan?" She snickered, shoveling more oily beef into her already brimming bowl.

"Ino-chan, dear, you shouldn't eat too much! You have to keep that Tsukino figure of yours!" Ikukko Tsukino-Yamanaka chided gently, worriedly peering at her daughter's bowl packed with rice and hardly enough vegetables.

Inoichi snorted. "_What_ figure?"

That comment literally earned him a spoon flying towards his forehead. Usagi's precise aiming skills must have taken after her mother, apparently. It hit him with a sickening clank, to which Usagi and Ino's sympathetic winces were barely audible. All the while, Ikkuko was sitting gracefully on her seat across from her husband with a satisfied smile on her face, sipping her hot oolong tea.

"Gyaah!" Inoichi let out a muffled yelp, before slumping to the floor and whimpering, "Ikukko-_chaaan_, I meant that she was a growing girl! She's only eight! Girls her age barely _have_ a figure!"

Ino was about to throw her chopsticks at her father, too, but Usagi stood up and caught it in time before it could reach Inoichi. Ino hissed petulantly and stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Usagi would've liked to think that she was mature enough to simply ignore the jibe, but after Ino started making obscene gestures (sticking her tongue out noisily and pulling her lower eyelid down with her middle finger) Usagi was by that time seething in her seat on the floor. She stuck her tongue out and mimicked the smaller girl, pulling down both of her bottom eyelids.

"Ngeh!" Ino taunted, her tongue still protruding mockingly.

"Nnngah!" Usagi retorted louder, pointedly sticking her tongue out as well.

"I just love it when we gather around the table. I think it's the only real time we can actually be a family," Ikkuko swooned with longing, proficiently ignoring her bickering children. She reached for Ino's bowl, muttering something about lady figures.

Ino noticed, and immediately reverted her attention from her older sister. "Mom! I wasn't finished!" She grabbed the bowl and proceeded to pull it back. Ikkuko and Ino seemed as if they were in some travesty of a Tug-of-War contest.

"You can't possibly eat this much! Did you know that it takes twenty minutes for your body to register that your stomach is full?" Ikkuko scolded.

Ino derisively scoffed. "Usagi-neechan eats like a _pig_, but there's never an ounce of fat on her!" She retorted, scowling enviously.

Usagi grimaced, gritting her teeth together, but she didn't dare let herself get unwittingly dragged into the argument. She kept her mouth shut, discreetly grumbling to herself about being related to inane women. Sighing, she scooted over to take a look at her father, whom was still lying on his back ever since the unnecessary dispute began.

"Papa, are you alright?" She whispered, leaning a bit to get a better look at him.

Inoichi's right foot twitched. Very discreetly, out of the corner of her mouth, he mumbled, "I'm waiting till it's over."

Usagi nodded, a little impressed by her father's smart thinking. "Mom, may I be excused?" She asked, glancing at her mother and younger sister expectantly.

"Go ahead dear! And remember to brush your teeth!" Ikukko smiled happily at her eldest daughter, but being preoccupied gave Ino the means to snatch her bowl away and rapidly shovel the food into her mouth at will.

Usagi giggled fondly at her family's antics. They were definitely weird but, as they say, the only normal people are the ones that you don't know very well…

Usagi strode upstairs and straight into her room, plopping herself on her futon and letting out a miserable groan against the wrinkled sheets.

"My first day in front of the shop, and my first costumer ends up being Uchiha Itachi!" She sighed dramatically against her pillow, hugging it against her, "And I was such a spaz!" She nearly sobbed, but managed to calm herself enough so that it was no more than a sniffle.

When he had entered the flower shop, she had been preoccupied with arranging a bouquet for a frequent customer, Hatake Kakashi, whom was well acquainted with her father and was quite charming in his own uncanny cavalier way. She was a bit surprised that her first customer would be an ANBU, but was too excited to think anything of it.

And then he'd revealed himself as the Uchiha prodigy, Itachi, one of the most successful genius ninja in Konohagakure history. That was when everything had definitely fallen apart, and Usagi was immediately prone to disaster and feverish blushing. If she had known her longtime crush would stalk into the shop, she would have been far less careless.

"Hey Usagi!" Ino popped in front of her vision, seemingly out of no where.

Usagi let out a muffled cry and rolled away at once. "How did you get in here?" She demanded petulantly, glowering down at the tiny blonde that was now sprawled on her mattress. She was wearing pink pajamas one size too big, and Usagi distinctly remembered wearing it a long time ago when she that age.

Ino smiled cutely, winking one eye up at her older sister. "You never leave the door locked, and I'm gonna be a kunoichi just like you one day so you better watch out! I could show up undetected any time I want!"

"Why are you here?" Usagi crinkled her nose, looking down at her small sister suspiciously.

Ino feigned an appalled look. "What, I can't have a slumber party with my own Neechan? I miss bunking with you, y'know!"

Usagi sighed dejectedly. "Dad sent you to spy on me, didn't he?"

"He promised ice-cream. You can't beat that." Ino grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"What does he want to know?" She asked, shifting on the floor to sit with her legs crossed.

Ino lay there and simply shrugged. "He wants to know what happened at the shop to make you lose your enthusiasm during supper. I mean, _whatever_ it was, it must've been really serious to stop a huge appetite like yours!" Ino rolled over on the futon to avoid a pillow from hitting her, and sat with her knees against her chest.

"Like I'd tell you, you little spore!" Usagi declared determinedly, another pillow in her hands and raised to strike.

"This is off the record," Ino insisted dismissively, "I really wanna know. I'm not gonna tell dad, I promise!"

"How can I know I could trust you?" Usagi eyed Ino with obvious distrust in her expression. Ino held out her pinkie finger and wordlessly encouraged Usagi to do the same. Immediately understanding, Usagi hooked her pinkie with Ino's smaller one and nodded resolutely.

"Well, there's this boy…" She began, but Ino grimaced and made a deliberate gagging noise, until Usagi shushed her saying, "Do you wanna hear it or not?" Decidedly silencing the smaller girl, Usagi continued, "He wasn't just any boy, he's Uchiha Itachi! And I acted like such a disgrace, I almost tripped and I'd dropped a pot of flowers at the very mention of his name!" Usagi ended this with a sniveling squeak.

Ino gave her older sister a blank, withering look. "That's _all_? Jeez, what's so great about boys anyway? They're always so full of themselves and think they're way better than girls!" Ino emphasized her righteous outburst by punching a fist into her open palm.

Usagi actually envied her little sister for her immunity from boys. But that always came with being tender age of eight, and soon, unfortunately, she would grow up to be as feminine and hormonal as any other teenage girl.

"I have a problem, too, you know." Ino blurted.

Usagi blinked. "Oh?"

Ino ranted, "Remember my best friend Sakura? Well, now she's fallen madly in love with that jerk Sasuke. I don't even know what she sees in him! He doesn't even talk to girls and spends his whole day training and studying! He's so boring. And now she stalks him, so she doesn't have any time for me! Can you believe that?"

"Yeah, actually I can," Usagi giggled, "Sasuke is just so adorable! I could just hug him till he turns blue!"

Ino scowled, but ignored her and continued, "And when we finally _do_ hang out, all she ever talks about is Sasuke! What's so special about an Uchiha anyway?"

"I honestly don't know," Usagi smiled to herself, her cheeks turning red as she recalled the way Itachi had held her so firmly to break her fall earlier that day. He had felt so invigoratingly warm…

"I hate the Uchihas!" Ino complained childishly.

Usagi faltered in her thoughts. She frowned, "That's no way to treat them, their entire family is the Leaf Police, they dedicate themselves into protecting us all."

Ino folded her arms across her chest and refused to look at her sister. "So?" She huffed obstinately. "Sasuke is a stuck-up! He doesn't bother to play with us, all he does is train and study and all that boring stuff!"

Usagi sighed. It wasn't her place to be the wise role model, but…

"Try to think of it this way… Uchiha Itachi is a natural prodigy and is the future leader of the Uchiha Clan, praise and acknowledgement comes easy to him. But, as for Sasuke, he is the younger brother and therefore is less regarded. If you felt less important, wouldn't you desperately crave attention from your own parents and family members? Wouldn't you try your best, and try to find a place outside of your older sibling's shadow? Doing this, he has to prove himself and work harder, which probably means he has no time to have fun like other kids." Usagi hoped that her explanation helped at least a little. She felt extremely sorry for the Itachi's cute little brother.

Something she'd said must have been useful, because a spark of understanding dawned on Ino's expression. "Wow, I never thought of it that way…" She bowed her head, suddenly feeling ashamed of her previous words against the Uchiha boy.

"The Uchiha Clan is not like ours, Ino," Usagi said, "They're very traditional and _very_ stern on their beliefs. It's kind of sad…"

Ino snorted. "I'll say. Change would do them good! And maybe then…I could play with Sasuke and get to know him better, see what Sakura likes so much about him." She grinned excitedly, "I think I'll try to introduce myself to him, too!"

Usagi grinned, "We should both do that." She hadn't realized at the time that, in the future, it would eventually make Haruno Sakura and her sister utter rivals, competing for Sasuke's heart.

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**EDIT 3/18/08:** fixed certain things, because I couldn't help it. x)

And thus springs forth the SasuIno. XD I don't mind any Naruto pairing (except yaoi, because quite frankly it has frightened me ever since discovering it at the tender age of nine T.T)…

Eight-year-old Ino will kind of be like a mixture of Shingo and Chibi-Usa. In the manga, Ino never originally liked Sasuke. In fact, she thought he was a stuck-up jerk. It was only until Sakura proclaimed her crush on him that she did take any interests, and it was probably just to spend more time with her best friend since the pink-haired girl was so obsessed with Sasuke. XD

Please remember to leave a review with your thoughts and feelings on this chapter! Express yourself in a review and feel free to apply some constructive criticism:)

The meanings of the flowers are below:

Red Carnation means – alas my poor heart, fascination, my heart aches for you, admiration  
Thornless Rose means – love at first sight

_**Review Reply below **_

**Suoh: **Itachi only assumes that she is a civilian because he knows so little about her. I hope this chapter clears it up for you in some way. ;P

**Serenity Wayne:** Thank you:)

**Lalala:** I'm glad you think so! Thank you!

…

**XOXO,**

**Moony**


	3. Purple Hyacinth

**3. Purple Hyacinth **

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_"Your lips are the red symbol of a dream,  
what visions of warm lilies they impart,  
that line the green bank of a fair blue stream,  
with butterflies and bees close to each heart!  
O were I hovering, a bee, to probe  
Deep down within your scented heart, fair flower,  
Enfolded by your soft vermilion robe,  
Amorous of sweets, for but one perfect hour!"_  
– A Red Flower byClaude McKay

…

Usagi awoke around seven in the morning with a dull pain in her side, and groggily noticed Ino's elbow stabbed against the area above her hip. Somewhere during the end of the slumber party, and the separate futon that she had laid out for her little sister, Ino must've somehow crawled towards Usagi's mattress in her sleep.

Usagi wanted desperately to push the snoring little girl out of the way and bury herself under the comforts of her blanket, effectively returning to the contented lull of her dreams. She usually didn't wake up before 8 PM, and was far more of a noontime person herself. But Ino's snoring was _so loud_; it was physically improbable to fall asleep again.

Groaning, she rolled away and shakily sat herself upright. Unfortunately, Usagi had forgotten the very heated pillow fight with Ino the night before and had unwittingly rolled around in a crowd of feathers littered all over the parquet floor.

"_Pfft_! Gross!" Usagi vigorously spat out some feathers that had clung to the drool around her mouth. She dusted the feathers off the length of her arms and legs. Some feathers clung and protruded out of her hair, which was in a braid to keep out of unnecessary tangles while she had slept.

Usagi roused herself off the floor, sweeping away any residual feathers off of her thighs. Rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, she peered down at her little sister splayed over her futon covered in feathers, and snickered uproariously. The smile on her face was proof enough that all feelings of indolence were successfully out of her system.

After taking a quick shower Usagi slipped on a flak vest over her white camisole and black, closefitting pull-on breeches, her protective headband tied around her bicep. She bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"G'morning mom!"

"Good morning, Usagi," Ikkuko smiled from her place hovering over the kitchen stove, frying eggs. "Did you wake up your sister?"

"I will," Usagi assured flippantly, and then whirled around to yell, "INO! MOM SAID TO WAKE UP AND COME DOWNSTAIRS!"

Ikkuko glared at her eldest daughter reproachfully, but Usagi seemed oblivious to this as she smeared butter and strawberry jam on a piece of toast she had found on the table. She plopped the piece of toast into her mouth and finished it in three bites.

Before Ikkuko could reprimand her eldest daughter, Ino stalked down the stairs covered in feathers and yawning loudly.

"Ino-chan!" Ikkuko exclaimed, as Usagi snickered behind her. "What happened to you?"

"Huu-waa?" Ino mumbled sleepily.

Ikkuko wiggled a reprimanding finger at Ino. "You're covered in feathers, young lady! Go clean yourself up this instant or you'll be late for the academy!" Though she was complaining the whole way, Ino stomped off to do as she was told and the kitchen was once again busy with breakfast.

"Where's papa?" Usagi asked conversationally.

"He's opening up the shop."

Usagi choked on her toast. "_What_? How come no one woke me!?" She whined, jumping off her seat.

"I was going to, but your father insisted you sleep in," Ikkuko pouted, sighing dramatically, "I disagreed, of course, but you know him…so overprotective of you!" Usagi was already gone before her mother even finished the sentence.

"It's not fair!" She grumbled, leaping off rooftops as means of a quicker route to the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Usagi was as undeniably swift as the fluffy animal she was named after, having practiced many times before when she had attended the Konoha Ninja Academy (she was always late for the first period of class time, and it was her habitual tardiness that had led her to vigorously sprint everyday to school). She managed to save a considerable amount of time, and landed in front of the shop just as Inoichi was busy fishing out the keys from his vest pocket.

Inoichi nearly lost his footing at the sudden company. "What the—Usagi!" He fumed, realizing it was only his daughter and certainly not an assassin sent to kill him. He wasn't quite sure which one he preferred, though.

Usagi pointed an accusing forefinger at her father, "You tried to ditch me just then, didn't you? I'm not sick at all, so I can take the morning shift no problem, Papa!"

"Why don't you go train or something…?" Inoichi mumbled sulkily, looking away to conceal his obvious pout.

"I knew it," Usagi declared, snatching the keys out of his hand faster than he could blink. She whirled around on her heels, pigtails nearly slapping Inoichi in the face before becoming limp yet again, and quickly unlocked the doors. "I won't lock myself in the storage closet again, Dad! I learnt my lesson!" She insisted. Behind her, Inoichi grimaced skeptically.

By the end of the morning Usagi alone had managed to sell a dozen bouquets to young shinobi boys and some older ones, all of who had only the intention of giving her the flowers in mind. It wasn't a particularly impressive attempt to woo her because she was surrounded by flowers every day and, although she loved them, it was almost offensive that they'd practically return their purchase. She'd like to think that she had worked hard to arrange the flowers for them, and that they'd appreciate her effort. But it was the thought that counted, at the very least, and she had to remind herself that they were supposedly sweet gestures.

Despite the many customers she was bringing in, it did little to deter Inoichi's distrust. From behind the cashier counter, he glared at every individual entering the shop whom had the misfortune of being an eligible young man.

"_Dad_," Usagi hissed at her father, placing a basket of baby's breath in front of the counter for display. "Stop glaring at the customers, you're bad for business!"

"_Me _bad for business?" Inoichi pouted incredulously, whispering, "If they wanted to buy something they would've done so by now! They're practically stalking the place! I didn't open this shop for hormonal teenage boys to _ogle at my daughter_, dammit!"

She crinkled her nose in distaste. "Such Language! I'm telling mama…"

Inoichi paled. "Don't do that!" He hissed imploringly.

Usagi rolled her eyes and left to tend to the displays upfront. She was becoming more and more uneasy with every potential customer that entered. Her father looked murderous and the boys were infuriatingly resilient. Usagi wasn't sure if she could restrain her father with the usual blackmail any longer.

She smiled halfheartedly at a young man that had winked at her, but quickly realized that it was a mistake. He seemed encouraged by her polite gesture and started sauntering towards her no matter how much her mind screamed and threatened him not to take another step. Her lips were pursed together into a tight frown, making it a little difficult to speak at all.

"Hi," He greeted, waving with the right amount of cheerfulness that made it charming.

Usagi nodded in regard and smiled slightly. She had to admit, he certainly _was_ handsome. Long black hair, midnight-blue eyes and an easy smirk. He seemed to ooze a certain charm, the kind that most sensible girls steered clear of. He looked older than her, around 16 or 17, and it was clear enough that he did not come for flowers.

"Shy type, eh," he chuckled, combing long fingers through his hair in a way that made him all the more attractive, "My name's Seiya."

"Usagi," she replied accommodatingly. "What would you like?"

"I'd like you," Seiya smirked.

"Funny," Usagi remarked, but forgot to laugh, instead blushing prettily. "Anything else?"

Seiya waved dismissively. "What's a pretty girl like you doing with an old geezer like that, anyway?" he asked conversationally, gesturing to the cashier with his forefinger.

A muscle under her right eye twitched. Staring in Inoichi's general direction, she stated flatly, "He's my father."

Seiya paled, and Usagi genuinely grinned at the sight of his discomfort. For a handsome guy, he certainly lacked handsome manners. "Any more questions?" She smiled cutely, and it only widened when Seiya shook his head and shuffled away in embarrassment (and fear, because by then Inoichi had noticed him and was glaring with startling hatred).

"I think I'll go take a break," Usagi sighed, as if to herself, and wordlessly gestured to her father before throwing her apron over a conveniently nearby hook.

The older man was all too eager to oblige. "Don't come back!" He insisted, almost warningly.

Usagi outwardly pouted, but stifled a giggle. Before she slinked away, unbeknownst to the window shoppers, she took a small bouquet of purple hyacinths and hydrangeas that she had arranged herself. She had spent a particular amount of heart and time on the arrangement, so she naturally prided herself in it.

"I just hope Uchiha-san would like it," she mumbled self-consciously, almost loosing all confidence in herself just then as she walked through the streets. She was heading towards a prominent housing district that was essentially occupied by the Uchiha Clan.

Usagi made a point to take her time. Maybe if she stalled long enough, her hands would've stopped trembling against the bouquet by the time she arrived before the doorstep of her destination…

A purple hyacinth represented apology and forgiveness, whereas hydrangeas represented thanks and appreciation for understanding. She chose the two flowers because she felt it represented her feelings toward the Uchiha prodigy—or, at the very least, the feelings she would allow herself to reveal to him.

In many cases, Usagi wasn't considered as bold as many female ninja. She was idealistic, a true daydreamer. Usagi daydreamed of being a medic-nin, _healing_ instead of hurting, _giving life_ instead of unrightfully taking it. She dreamed of a flower garden that was all her own, and she'd tend to the flora and give life to them, because she loved the gift of life. She was grateful for it with more than words could say.

She was cheerful, forthcoming and made friends all too easily in spite of her character flaws—like how she was a habitual procrastinator, occasionally clumsy and a little too careless; or how she was far too compassionate and sentimental and _pacifistic_ to accept the hardhearted protocol that was required of a kunoichi warrior.

However, sentimental ideals like that was unbefitting amongst kunoichi, dutiful and talented women bound to Konoha forever—and the idea of forever scared her; she'd be a ninja, a trained _assassin_, till death? She didn't want that at all. But did she have any right at all to resent her ninja training and duty to protect Konoha? It was her home. She was generally born into Konoha's shinobi militia because of her family's history. If anything, she _owed_ it to Konoha for giving her such opportunities—not many children were given such power, to be granted the power to become a shinobi.

And yet she was miserable. It was unfair to raise children that way, a way of fighting and power and unrealistic tradition. If she'd actually voiced her opinion, actually _admit_ to resenting the shinobi way, she'd be an embarrassment to her Clan and kunoichi everywhere. What then? What would her family think?

Needless to say, Usagi couldn't help but feel slightly inadequate.

_Mrrrrwrwarr_!

Walking along a dirt path that was flanked by towering wooden fences, she was suddenly jerked out of her decidedly brooding thoughts by the sound of a loud catlike screech. With a startled yelp, she very nearly lost her footing, but quickly composed herself and held her bouquet a little too protectively to her chest.

She turned a corner curiously, peering over the edge of the parquet fence. She first noticed what looked to be a boy with unruly florescent blonde hair, his back facing her, and he was kneeling over something as if struggling with it. Without thinking, she strode towards him. She heard the same yelping noise as she came closer.

"What are you doing to that poor cat?" Usagi asked, absurdly calm about the situation in spite of the increasing alarm that knotted within her chest. She couldn't imagine a child hurting such a defenseless creature—innocent children shouldn't be insensitive towards any living thing. It glaringly went against her code of ethics.

The boy whipped around, startled. He had the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, a shade paler than hers, and they were wide with surprise and absurdly brilliant against his face. His smooth pudgy face was caked with what looked like dried mud and dust.

Usagi immediately noticed the cat in his arms. It had a sleek black coat of fur, slightly ruffled and covered in dirt as if it had just escaped from a scuffle. There was a large band-aid stuck to its forehead that looked particularly uncomfortable. It was clawing at the band-aid desperately.

"Who did that?" She asked, the question shooting out of her lips before she could catch herself.

"What? I wasn't doing nothin'!" He retorted defensively, disregarding her question altogether. He gathered the cat closer to him, appearing deranged and overprotective.

'_I didn't say you did…' _Usagi blinked. She was admittedly suspicious of the boy's behavior and would've easily guessed that he'd been tormenting the poor feline, but the cat didn't seem to see him as any threat at all. In fact, it was yawning in his arms. There were tear stains that ran across his cheeks, smearing away the grime and revealing flawless tanned skin, and his left eye was mildly bruised.

Before she could ask him about it, the young boy whipped around on his heels and dashed out of sight with a speed that Usagi hadn't expected. But she didn't follow him, didn't think she had the right to pry into something that might've easily been none of her business despite her personal feelings. She had a delivery to make, after all.

…

_Tak… Tak. Tak-tak-tak. _

Out in the courtyard of a prominent Uchiha household, a young boy was diligently flinging shuriken blades at a makeshift wooden target he had propped up himself. He was fifty feet adjacent to the target, and would occasionally redirect his position to a distance or angle glaringly more difficult. He'd never missed, not once. His fingers were bruised and cut in several places, some already dark scabs, which indicated that he had been outside for hours.

He wasn't having fun.

"Sasuke-chan," Mikoto Uchiha called from the backyard foyer of their large home, wiping her hands with a wash towel, "Come in and have some lunch. I made your favorite!"

Sasuke's lips curled, the corners of his mouth arching into a frown. He didn't reply, didn't even turn around to greet his mother. The soft footfalls faded as Mikoto returned into the kitchenette.

Typically, houses that held such prominence were flanked by thick and towering parquet fences to ensure privacy - or, at the very least, to give that impression. In a closed village of trained shinobi, there was almost no such thing.

The fences also felt like things in his way, hindrances that needed to be erased. The backyard was large, but not accommodatingly so. Sasuke needed to get out of the house, far away, and find a haven in which he would have no interruptions and much more space.

But Mikoto Uchiha was a mother and, worst of all, _his _mother. He loved her more than anyone else, but Sasuke, like all typical eight-year-olds, did not like to be treated his age. He felt inadequate when he was treated like nothing more than a child. He was an Uchiha, and that _had_ to more than make up for his age. _Right_?

Uchiha or not, Sasuke was Mikoto's youngest child, and therefore was the most coddled. He could not leave the comforts of their home without a chaperone, and could not stray far from the district of which the Uchiha's predominated.

He could not just hide away in a secluded training area until he was well old enough. Unlike his older brother, who could do just that and whatever else he wanted—granted it was appropriate or for the benefit of the Clan. Sasuke envied his older brother deeply, so deep that it nearly rivaled above his love for Itachi until the feeling was close to indifference towards familial ties. They were brothers, and therefore born rivals.

Ironically it was Itachi himself who had taught him this, and because of that Sasuke took his word for it with the unconditional faith of any typically impressionable little brother.

"This isn't working," He thought to himself glumly. He needed no interruptions, he needed to be _better_. Couldn't they just understand that?

His uncles, aunts, the elders and even his cousins found his perseverance and determination simply amusing. They giggled at him, as if his training and efforts to become stronger were all just an adorable little game he played for fun. But nothing he did anymore was fun. He was bruised and sore and bitterly insecure. These feelings didn't belong to children his age. It was unfair.

Sasuke took a deep breath, and scaled the fence, jumping over it with ease. He was running away, but only for a little while because he didn't want to skip supper. Mikoto was serving his favorite.

As Sasuke soared in mid air and gravity brought him down with ease, he had not expected to land in the arms of a pretty young woman. Nor had he expected his lips to bump into hers.

...

* * *

...

How's that for an interaction, **FireWhirl**? ;D

Oh my, a cliffhanger… _-shot- _Ow...

Hmmm. And still no Itachi, too…_ -shotshotshot- _

**NOTE:**  
In case anyone is wondering about the relevance of Seiya in this fic: Basically, he'll pose as something of a competition against Itachi. You didn't think I'd let Itachi or Usagi just fall in love without some competition, now did you? Seiya will go out of his way to woo our favorite little rabbit. Personally, I like Seiya better than Mamoru. So what if he can turn into a girl in the anime? I just think Ranma 1/2. XD Seiya doesn't turn into a girl in this fic, though. Mostly. XD He's going to be fun, just wait and see.

...

I'm borrowing my aunt's computer since I don't have MW in my PC. I'm sorry for the unexpected _6 grueling months_ of intermission. I've been slipping in and out of Writers Block with this story, but I've continued writing regardless. Real Life's been making me so busy lately it's appalling. D: _**But I refuse to discontinue this!**_ Because it's so much fun writing this, really I've never had this much fun writing a fanfic and I truly appreciate everyone who's enjoying this as much as I am. :D

To **Maumaphet**, **Purr**, **Ice Haze**, **Cygnea**, **FireWhirl**, **HaleyM425**, **lixia**, **Ceris Malfoy**, **Suoh**, **mystic soldier**, **Jessica Love1**, **lalala**, and **Serenity Wayne **– _Thank you all for your support and general interest in this story, and I truly hope that all of you will stay tuned for the next chapter. MUAH! _

…

_**XOXO,  
- Moony **_


	4. White Camellia

**4. White Camellia**

.**  
**

* * *

...

"_Flowers bring to a liberal and gentlemanly mind the remembrance of honesty, comeliness and all kinds of virtues." - John Gerard_

…

For some reason, Usagi wasn't quite as surprised to find herself confronting yet another little boy that afternoon. There seemed to be an abundance of them in that particular district, apparently. Though she only assumed this because she couldn't quite forget about the little blonde boy and his black cat. Despite mentally berating herself every time she worried over the strange occurrence, it never seemed to subdue the tight feeling in her chest. The cat in particular unsettled her. It had unbelievable red eyes, and the golden bald spot on its forehead was unusually familiar. It almost looked like a birthmark...

She had not, however, expected to have his face slam right into hers.

All of a sudden a shadow had befell her, and out of both curiosity and dread she had looked up in time to see the smooth plump face of a young boy plummeting straight towards her. She would have dodged weren't it for the fact that a child was about to fall to his death if she didn't do anything to prevent it. So she opened her arms out of pure instinct.

He fell face-first, and her teeth felt as if they were bashed in with a kunai when he'd hit her. She was adamant in catching him, though, and despite the sudden pain she closed her arms around the little boy. Petals and broken stems flailed above her head.

Usagi fell on her rump and let out a muffled cry. The boy lay awkwardly on her lap, legs around her waist and his arms around her neck in an instinctive attempt of protection. "Owowowow," she groaned, letting go of the boy. Usagi touched her mouth with her fingertips, trying to rub away the pain in her teeth. Her head hurt, too. She couldn't open her eyes without blinding white circles flashing in front of her.

The boy stiffly scrambled off of her, crawling away and looking at her with impossibly wide eyes. They were as black as pitch.

Usagi forgot about her own discomfort when she noticed the small scratch on the dark-eyed boy's trembling bottom lip. She narrowed her eyes at the sliver of blood trailing down his chin and fringing the slit of his mouth. It was bleeding profusely. Frowning in concern, she crawled on her hands and knees towards him and muttered, "Are you okay?"

His face blossomed with color, and it almost seemed as if the blood from his lip was disappearing within the blush of his skin. She panicked, thinking that perhaps this was a bad sign. "Are you okay?" Usagi repeated, blinking hard to try to adjust to her headache. "Hey, speak to me…" she pleaded. She stood on her knees and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him gently and bringing her face closer to his in anxious anticipation. _Could he have had a concussion? _

This resulted in his immediately shying away, vigorously trying to pry her hands away from his small shoulders.

"Don't struggle!" She yelped, "Here, let me see that cut. I'm sorry for hitting you, it was an accident!" Usagi was ready to start wailing, feeling more and more incompetent with herself. Why didn't he want to cooperate? It wasn't like she'd meant for him to get hurt. Usagi was feeling increasingly guilty over their situation.

...

Itachi sauntered into the foyer of the Uchiha household almost tiredly, lips set into a grim line and dark eyes unsettlingly languid. His catlike ANBU mask was tied loosely around his forehead, the porcelain disguise fastened behind him like watchful eyes at the back of his head. He peeled off the brown hooded robe from his shoulders and tossed it over a conveniently nearby rack.

Itachi did not consider the Uchiha household an actual home. He had been born there, and occasionally he would sleep and eat there as well. But that didn't quite define a home. ANBU operatives traveled too often to permanently identify one place as their home. If anything, it was just a big luxurious house, just as part of Konoha as the Ichiraku Ramen Bar or the Hokage monument.

Itachi sensed more than heard Mikoto approaching him from an incoming corner of the corridor. For a moment he considered avoiding her, but changed his mind. It wasn't as if she'd be a nuisance. She was such a submissive housewife, but her dutiful nature was charming and she was usually full of quiet contentment. Even though Itachi didn't quite understand it, and never could, he found a small amount of fondness stir inside him at seeing her satisfaction for her lifestyle. And perhaps a vague hint of envy, because he very nearly hated that he couldn't identify with this sort of joy towards the way they lived. What the Clan did and what they stood for didn't matter to him, not compared to the pride of his own father and the dutiful obstinacy of his blood relatives.

As he passed the kitchen, Itachi glanced at the pot of coreopsis' that was placed near the window, sitting decoratively above the sink. The yellow sunlight that coated the flora made it appear as if it were glowing with its own light. It reminded him of the Yamanaka girl constantly, and yet he could not bring himself to throw it out.

The day before, he'd preserved the fallen cluster of coreopsis and terracotta, leaving not a single trace of it ever hitting the Flower Shop's ceramic floors. He'd left money on the counter and quietly left, presenting the flowers to Mikoto, who had been ecstatic to have something brighten up the serious household. He remembered Sasuke's accusing pout, as if to say: "Kiss up!" and "Why didn't you get _me_ anything?" Itachi breathed a resigned sigh at the memory.

His actions had been almost of their own accord, and it was only until he'd excused himself to his quarters that Itachi had found himself wondering why he'd done such an absurdly uncharacteristic thing. But he refused to linger on the feeling and instead meditated deeply, skipping supper as his ruminations stretched into the late hours of the night.

In the end, when he was too tired to even think, he was left with several conclusions. The blonde girl, Usagi, must have been some sort of genjutsu master; she'd used him, and tricked him into…feeling things. Or she was a witch, who'd cast a spell on him. Or an assassin sent to kill him through some sort of psychological deception…Because Itachi found that he couldn't stop thinking about her.

It had made Itachi uneasy. This was uncommon for him, for it rarely ever happened because of a girl. So, he'd decided to make it his own priority to remedy his situation by finding the blonde florist and interrogating her personally. There was no need for his fellow ANBU operatives or family members to get involved. He never liked too much unnecessary attention, and often did all he could to avoid it. Itachi was a persuasive young man, and even he was aware that his accidental charm had powers of their own. For some reason that he knew nothing of, women were absurdly attracted to him.

Itachi stepped out of the hall and met Mikoto immediately, closing off his mind from the thoughts that had been hassling him since yesterday. Mikoto would never know how much he appreciated the distraction.

She gasped. "Itachi-chan, you surprised me!" But she looked happy to see him, which came as no surprise. With his clan, nothing ever did anymore. She smiled, her cheeks dimpled prettily. She looked every bit the motherly figure of their family. "You're home early."

Itachi returned the gesture, feigning a smile with perfect accuracy. "It's been quite slow with ANBU lately," he informed uselessly, but for the sake of polite conversation he'd allow himself to partake in such tedious banter, "There's been nothing but B-ranked missions all day. It seems I'm not needed. " He smiled, a vague quirk of his lips that seemed almost sardonic to the naked eye.

"Don't be modest," Mikoto laughed, and patted her son on the shoulder affectionately. Itachi was rarely ever modest, just painfully blunt, but Mikoto liked to think that there was a warmer side to her perfunctory son. Mikoto's eyes widened a little, as if suddenly recalling something relatively important. She clapped her hands together resolutely, "Oh, I just remembered! I need you to fetch your brother. He doesn't seem to want to stop playing outside!"

At the mention of his only sibling, Itachi felt a brotherly warmth suddenly overcome him. The only reason he ever visited the Uchiha household anymore was to see Sasuke: Itachi's younger brother as well as the fledgling ninja who was so adamant in surpassing him. Such unpretentious innocence gave Itachi a sliver of hope for his clan's future.

Smiling unassumingly, Mikoto shooed the dispassionate youth into the hallway that led towards their backyard. They both stepped out into the foyer.

There was a makeshift target, and several kunai impaled into it. But that was all.

"Sasuke-chan?" Mikoto stepped out of the foyer and onto the open yard behind their house. There was an air of dread, and her voice sounded fearful.

Itachi blinked owlishly.

"Sasuke-chan!" Mikoto wailed.

...

Usagi firmly cupped Sasuke's cheeks with her hands, and this seemed to put him at ease for some reason. Her hands were smooth and soothingly cool against his hot cheeks. "Stay still, please," she pleaded quietly.

"It's nothing," Sasuke grumbled, suddenly aware of the situation, "I can take care of myself. I know how to clean a wound."

"It's not like I doubted you or anything," Usagi crinkled her noise a little. "But how come these cuts aren't bandaged or cleaned?" She gestured pointedly at his hands, "Look, some are already scabs."

"I forgot." Sasuke's cheeks felt even hotter as more blood rushed into his face, and her hands felt all the more cooler. "You should've just gotten out of the way! I could've easily landed harmlessly by myself." Truth be told, Sasuke wasn't entirely sure whether he was lying or not. He'd underestimated the drop, and it was perhaps by mere luck that this blonde girl was there to break his fall. He remembered how their lips met, and winced.

Usagi stared at Sasuke's flushed face with worry. _There's no way that shade of red is normal..._ "You're right, how stupid of me." Usagi nodded as if she understood, grinning inwardly in amusement. She was too busy trying to relieve the mess in her head to argue. But the ache in her temple was receding now that the boy was calming down, and she'd recognized him as Sasuke Uchiha. She didn't know whether to cry or laugh at the irony of it.

Usagi peered at the crushed bouquet a few feet away at her side, flowers and petals and leaves scattered all over the dirt. Some were in her hair, but she didn't bother with it. She might have cried over it, indeed her eyes felt unusually moist and a sudden misery seemed to fill her head until it left almost no room for the tears behind her eyes.

She didn't want to cry in front of the little Uchiha, though, so she didn't linger on the feeling and pushed it deep inside where she wouldn't feel the bulk of it until much later. Besides, she was supposed to be impressionable to the younger ninjas, and a kunoichi crying over something as small as crushed flowers did not set an example for fledgling shinobi. She didn't want to scare him or make him feel as if it were his own fault.

"My name is Usagi, by the way," she told him uselessly, but for the sake of avoiding awkward silences she was willing to engage in any type of conversation to distract herself from her feelings.

"Uchiha Sasuke," he replied, and seemed to sit straighter in an attempt to look prideful.

"I know," Usagi smiled at him. Before Sasuke could ponder on what she'd said, Usagi touched his bottom lip with her fingertip, and he flinched, all manner of pride escaping him as he winced and slapped her hand away.

"I'm sorry," she apologized meekly, hating the idea of hurting him at all. At least he wasn't anything like Ino, who would usually start bawling uncontrollably at the tiniest flesh wound. It wasn't so much that her little sister couldn't stand the pain, it was more so the fact that there was an unusual blemish on her skin at all (as well as a means of getting attention) that made her overreact. It occurred to most children, but she was pleased to know that Itachi's younger brother was not as melodramatic.

"Can I take a look at your lip? It's bleeding." She gestured for him to stay still, and placed her hand inside the front breast pocket of her flak vest. Pulling out a small cylindrical bottle, Usagi smiled satisfyingly. "I keep ointments like these for emergency. I'm always hurting myself one way or another, so I have to be prepared," she informed needlessly, a sheepish blush pinking her cheeks.

Sasuke stared at her with furrowed brows, his expression skeptical. _Hurting herself?_ She must've been some sort of kunoichi, otherwise she wouldn't be carrying any medical ointment with her at all. Unless she was a total klutz, which would've explained why she hadn't moved out of the way when he'd fallen on her.

Sasuke didn't have the time to decide, because she touched his cheek again and he forgot what he was thinking about. Her touch was almost electrical, numbing him to the point where he couldn't bring himself to move away. He could focus on nothing else.

"This will sting a little," Usagi informed, "It's a special salve I made myself." She said this with contented pride, and then scooped a small amount of the thick semitransparent goop around her forefinger.

Sasuke eyed her slender finger warily. _This will sting a little_, she'd said, and Sasuke couldn't help but feel a little anxious. She was more or less a stranger, and her kindness was new to him. He was half convinced that the salve was poison. But why would she want to kill him?

She smoothed her fingertip over the cut on his lip and he yelped. "Ow!"

"I'm sorry!"

"That hurt!" Sasuke glared accusingly. _So it _was_ poison! _

"I said it would sting," Usagi pouted.

Sasuke scoffed. "You said it would sting _a little_!"

"Well, you're welcome..." Usagi closed the bottle of ointment huffily, refusing to argue with an eight-year-old boy. She roused herself off of the dirt, and extended a hand to help Sasuke off the ground as well. The boy refused, looking away with his chin high, and remained seated on the dirt. Usagi flushed in annoyance. She'd never met a more pompous child!

Her hand was still extended stubbornly, but Sasuke was no longer paying her any attention. Puzzled, Usagi looked toward the direction he'd been staring at, and noticed a dark figure across from them. It was almost positively ANBU, the typical gray and black uniform and porcelain mask evident. But what separated this shinobi from the rest, was that he was Uchiha Itachi.

...

Mikoto had panicked, and it had taken all of Itachi's patience to calm his paranoid mother. "I'll go look for him," he had told her, and there was an air of quiet confidence and finality about him that had assured Mikoto immediately. He had no doubt that Sasuke was fine, wherever he'd gone. The boy was strong and resilient for his age, and Itachi knew this more than any other person. He believed in it more than anything else.

Itachi strode along a path flanked by towering wooden enclosures, a sense of direction in his demeanor that meant he knew precisely where he was going. He never had any trouble locating his brother. Sasuke was always running away around suppertime, if only to train.

Before Itachi could mull over his brother's misbehaviors, he heard Sasuke himself cry out. This startled him more than he would ever admit.

"Ow!"

"I'm sorry!"

Itachi vaguely recalled how Mikoto would often remind her Sasuke-chan how important it was to stay away from strangers, but it came as no surprise that Sasuke had disregarded the rule.

"That hurt!" He heard Sasuke yell. Itachi stepped closer toward the corner that he knew for certain would lead him towards his little brother and the stranger.

"I said it would sting." He could practically feel the pout in her voice.

Itachi's languid gaze turned sharp and suddenly aware of the fact that his little brother was with a woman. This might have been of no importance, for the local women adored his cute sibling. Sasuke's cheeks were far too pinchable for their own good, after all. But the feminine tone of voice struck a spark of recognition that nearly overwhelmed him. Coreopsis came to mind.

Itachi didn't often care enough to personally distinguish people, much less their voice. He'd met so many shinobi and villagers alike in his short, thriving years as an ANBU nin that he did not stop to care. They were just faces with names, neutral and necessary in his mind's eye, neither pretty nor ugly nor any of such trivial superficial things. They were just things he needed to remember, no more relevant than studying a scroll of jutsus.

But when he'd heard her voice he had been struck with the vision of blue eyes and blonde hair and soft, soft tanned skin. And flowers… Teeming clusters of sweet-smelling, shapely flora. It must have been such a potent genjutsu to generate such an effect on him, even still.

Itachi turned the corner and immediately saw her with her hand outstretched, gesturing for Sasuke to take it. Flowers and leaves were in her hair, and dirt coated her arms, and it was as if he was reliving the day before. And even as Sasuke turned away like the stubborn boy he was, she insisted on helping him up. Apparently, she did not understand that Sasuke's pride was at stake. In his state, he would not yield in front of a girl.

Sasuke had noticed him first. There was a flash of dread in his young expression, and a hint of shame for being caught by his own rival, his older brother. Itachi smiled reassuringly behind his mask, as if he expected Sasuke to sense it.

She looked at him right then, and recognized instantly. A sense of satisfaction stirred in Itachi for some reason, and he remembered that when they'd first met she hadn't recognized him at all. This was intriguing, because he was accustomed to people knowing who he was. Itachi, the Uchiha Prodigy. Even his signature ANBU mask was popularly known. That single detail alone had bothered him more than he'd realized.

And then there was dread in her eyes, and embarrassment, and she resembled a paralyzed doe as he walked towards her.

This displeased him. She looked like she was ready to flee from him yet again. But Itachi was prepared to chase her, to order her to stay where she was, and perhaps suggest that she thank him for cleaning up and paying for the coreopsis from yesterday, wasting his money on such needless decorative plants that constantly insisted on reminding him of her. It did not help the situation he was in. He was almost convinced that she should apologize for that, too.

…

Somehow, Usagi knew that meeting him again was inevitable—if only to punish her for being such an irresponsible girl. She was going to embarrass herself, she just knew it! But perhaps if she kept still and quiet, he would ignore her and just focus all his attention on his own brother.

He must've been looking for his little brother. Why hadn't Usagi think of that before? She could've told Sasuke to go home, so his family wouldn't worry. And since she had initially planned on going there anyway, she could have escorted him and quickly leave. But it was too late now. The flowers lay splayed across the ground, she was covered in dirt with leaves and petals in her hair, and her head hurt. She was a mess.

Usagi imagined the outcome of her mistake…

_He'd walk up, take one look at her, and grimace in disgust. _

_He'd ignore her entirely, not even remembering her, and take his brother home. _

_He'd become angry, glaring accusingly. "What happened to my brother's lip and hands? Did you hurt him?"_

" _You're such a clumsy girl!" He would say. "Why didn't you run away? You're good at that." _

…

Itachi walked up to Usagi, and upon closer inspection she looked too distracted to even notice him. Or was she was outright ignoring him? Itachi narrowed his eyes. Her lips were faintly bruised, and the pigtailed buns on her head were loose and askew, petals and leaves peaking out of the golden curls. She'd managed to make the unkempt look appear quite comely, in fact.

"Is it lunch yet, niisan?" Sasuke said gruffly, walking up to Itachi almost begrudgingly.

Itachi glanced down at his younger brother, as if just realizing that he was present. Itachi set his jaw, peeled off his mask and smiled kindly at Sasuke, determined not to get distracted again.

He noticed the cut on Sasuke's lip, and the film of semitransparent salve smeared over it. "Are you all right, Sasuke-chan?"

"Of course I am!" Sasuke sniffed.

Itachi nodded, "And we have Usagi-san to thank for that, don't we?"

Usagi seemed to flinch at the regard. She peered at him, almost in surprise, her cheeks pinking. Itachi watched with interest as Sasuke's cheeks blossomed with color, as well.

"Thank you," Itachi told her, smiling politely. "You've saved me quite a lot of trouble looking for him. I apologize if my little brother was any trouble."

The smile seemed to disarm her, as if it was the least of her expectations. "He w-wasn't," she said quickly, stuttering, but he could tell it was not entirely the truth. She was trying too hard to be polite, and she didn't look at him directly, as if trying to hide herself. Her diffidence was a stark contrast to the perky attitude he'd met before, and there was a hint of lingering disappointment in him upon discovering this.

Sasuke peered at her curiously. She didn't have much to gain by covering for him, so why do so? It intrigued him, and privately he felt a rush of relief at the fact that he was being defended on his behalf, at the very least. Hopefully Mikoto wouldn't make him skip dissert if Usagi could just continue to lie for him.

"What happened?" Itachi asked, sounding more uninterested than he really was. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell that Sasuke was simpering.

"He bumped into me, that's all. He cut his lip, so I used a healing salve." She glanced at Sasuke, and blinked curiously at his dour expression. "I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. It was my fault…" she bowed lightly.

"Don't be," Itachi ordered lightly. Such modesty was rare. Most girls went out of their way to impress him, but she seemed almost frightened of him. It was so unusual, and Itachi realized that he did not like the change very much.

"I'm sorr—I mean, okay." She quickly dipped her bow lower, loose pigtails dangling around her face.

"Girls are crazy," Sasuke commented, raising his eyebrow at the spectacle she was making of herself.

Usagi blushed deeply and resisted the urge to apologize for being a crazy girl, too. She slowly stood upright, careful not to make eye contact with either of the Uchihas.

"Sasuke," Itachi admonished flippantly, but his voice was sharp. He had noticed the flowers scattered on the grown, and decided to bring it up in hopes of calming her. "Were you making a delivery?"

"Yes." _Of course._

Itachi brought his hand up, as if to touch her, and Usagi almost squeaked in protest. Regardless, he plucked a purple petal from her hair, and examined at it. "For who?"

Usagi flinched slightly, as if the question was a physical blow, and all she could do was bear it.

"Who cares?" Sasuke blurted. He was just about done with this needless interrogation. He was not going to let Usagi be yet another unassuming girl to fall for his brother's stupid charm. Itachi's indifference was crueler than outright rejection, and Sasuke knew what it tended to do to silly heartbroken girls. "Let's go home, niisan. I'm hungry."

Itachi laughed despite himself. Usagi stared at him as if she'd never seen such a thing before, almost fascinated. "You'll have to excuse him. We _are_ a little late for lunch." He looked at Sasuke pointedly, "Though we wouldn't even be _in_ this situation if you would just stop running off." Sasuke blinked, wondering why, despite his words, Itachi sounded almost appreciative.

"That's alright, I need to get back to work anyway." Usagi smiled, and there was a hint of that sociable attitude from before. "I'll just go back and get another bouquet." An obvious lie, but Itachi disregarded it.

"Sorry about that," Sasuke mumbled, realizing that she had been doing something important, and he'd probably made the work more difficult for her.

"Sasuke," Itachi suggested suddenly, "why don't you get a head start? Okasan is worried enough as it is. I'll catch up."

Sasuke was about to protest, but decided against it. Itachi sounded serious. "Promise to train with me later?" He wasn't going to do him a favor without getting something out of it, at least.

"I promise," Itachi said shortly. Sasuke leered and jogged home. Itachi watched him turn a corner and disappear. He turned his attention to Usagi, who'd made a move to pick op the fallen cluster of flowers. "Let me help," he insisted.

"That's all right," she evaded, not looking at him.

"_I insist_."

Usagi glanced up at him at that moment. He wasn't asking anymore.

She sighed quietly, "Okay." Usagi made sure to keep a distinct distance between them, taking care not to reach for anything he couldn't pick up himself. She was quick to gather the ones nearby, trying her best to ignore him, assuming that he would do the same.

When her arms were full she stood up, and noticed that he had already finished before her. Wordlessly he walked closer and placed the rest of the flowers into her arms, and at that moment they were within excruciating proximity of each other.

"Thank you," Usagi told him meaningfully. _For everything._

"You're welcome." Itachi wasn't quite sure what he'd expected when he'd inexorably met her again, but staring at her now, he realized he hadn't been prepared at all. He turned to walk away, trying to sort out the mess in his head.

"Wait!"

Itachi stopped. He couldn't bring himself to take another step.

Usagi almost regretted saying anything at all, but there was still one more thing she felt obligated to do, whether it would cost her more embarrassment or not. She walked towards Itachi, stepped in front of him, and gave him her bottle of homemade healing salve. "Please take this, and rub a little on Sasuke's hands. They might be infected."

The genuine care in her voice for his own brother struck him as… he couldn't quite define the feeling, but he deemed it good.

…

* * *

.

**NOTE:  
**There were so many moments where I just wanted to cut it short and make huge, hair-pulling cliffhangers. XD Like when Usagi and Sasuke had first noticed Itachi, for instance. _Buuut_ I decided since I wrote 2 chapters without Itachi, that would just be cruel. XP

Hooray, Itachi is back! And the crowd roars! XD I hope I haven't made Itachi seem too sentimental too quickly in this chapter. It's only been less than 24 hours and already he appears smitten by Usagi. But that's up to you to decide. ;)

Maybe he just isn't quite accustomed to a girl like Usagi, the same way most people are not accustomed to a maverick ninja like Naruto. Or maybe he's more intrigued than he would willingly admit, and the moment they'd shared the day before, when their hands touched and lingered, effected him in a way he couldn't quite identify with. Or _maybe_ I should shut my mouth and quit I spoiling you. XDD

A few weeks ago I read _Rage of Angels_ by the late Sydney Sheldon. It's odd because I had the book for a few years now but I only decided to read it recently, a less than year after he passed away. But at least he left memorable stories for people to remember him by. :) Now I'm reading _The Naked Face_. Anyway, I think that some of his style of writing kind of merged with mine unconsciously because of that. XD Weird…

White Camellia means "You're adorable"

* * *

Before I get to the _Review Replies_, keep in mind I don't have a very good memory when it comes to whether I've already replied to a reviewer or not. And since this fic has gotten quite a lot of reviews, I had difficulty keeping track, much less replying to all of them. I'll reply to the reviewers of chapter 3 and some of chapter 1 and 2. Sorry. I'm lazy, busy, and a procrastinator. X3 And the thing with replying in a PM is that I can't keep track of who I've already replied to. But I can remember a few, I think. I should right them down.

_Review Replies:__**  
**_**IceHaze –** Did I reply to you already? XD; If so, sorry. I feel like an old person with my bad memory sometimes, even though I'm 16. XD Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I was afraid that not adding Itachi would just make it seem a little slow-paced or boring. So in this chapter I'd hoped to make up for that. Think I overdid it? XDD I like Mamoru, but his personality wouldn't quite fit with what had in mind, so I opted for Seiya since he was better suited. Thank you so much for your review. I'm glad you think so. :3

**Purr –** _1._ Never give up on the SM X-over section, it may surprise you. X3 I know it did me loads of times. Itachi _was_ an angsty character, but with the recent Naruto issues, Itachi has apparently been good all along. XD Go figure. Not quite what I'd expected, and I'm not sure if this new side of him helps me keep him characteristic because now I have to put just a hint of sentimentality into him. And knowing him as the typical bad guy for most of the Naruto series, the sudden change feels odd. XDD _2._ I'm particularly fond of this chapter, too. It was very fun writing about the family! And it even makes me like the characters even more, for some reason. I'm glad you think so, thank you!

**FireWhirl – **I knew it would please you. Or at least I had a feeling. And you didn't think I'd make another chapter without Itachi, now did you? :P That would be just plain mean. XD Yes, I based Usagi's ninja skills on certain things she was good at in the anime series. Like how she was so accurate and precise with a Frisbee and her Moon Tiara Magic attack. Therefore, she's good at aiming with a kunai. And since it usually took her just seconds to rush to school when she's late, I made her particularly fast. She'll have more or less the same habits as in the canon SM. Though the medicine-making is a new feature. XD I love your suggestions, by the way. :D Thank you! I'll keep them in mind for sure.

**KumaNuma –** Well, she didn't give him the flowers. But that was an interesting idea, I wish I'd thought of it before I already wrote the chapter. XP I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!

**Suu –** Maybe. XD That's for me to know and for you to find out… sorry. X3 And I don't think it really counted as a first kiss. Or did it? …maybe for Sasuke. :3

**Cygnea –** I'm glad you liked chapter two! A review from you is always appreciated. :D This was written for you, after all.

**Serenity Wayne, ShadowOfHeart, MoonBunny777, HayleyM425, Lollipop Banister, Cosmic Uranus, Ceris Malfoy, Ella Sun, Mystic Soldier, Lixia, Suoh, & Jessica Love – **I wanted to thank you for your kind words and encouragement. All of you. :)

If I'd forgot to reply to you, I'm really sorry. Lack of sleep is making me weird. X3

…

_**XOXO,  
- Moony**_


	5. Iris

**5. Iris**

.**  
**

* * *

...

_"In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends."_ - Kozuko Okakura

...

The sky was a smoldering orange against the stark white puffs of cloud that hovered overhead. The day had yet to set, slivers of dusk gradually settling its murky colors over the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The warm blush of sunlight reflected off of everything it touched, even the pallor of his skin.

As the sun drew closer to the horizon, the forest became more deep and endless; the canopy of leaves and branches cast webs of shadow like broken glass across the encompassing mass of dirt and grass underneath him. But the humidity of the evening remained; beads of sweat rolled over his skin and dampened his hair until errant bangs clung to his forehead. The erratic thrum of his heart pounded in his ears, skin flushed from exertion and prickling with goosebumps.

Itachi was close. He could sense it in the very marrow of his bones.

Sasuke was panting. The rush of adrenaline and impatience coursed through him, making his blood burn and pulsate with anticipation, an almost primal need—an urge to seek out and eradicate his enemy. Sasuke relished it.

His dark eyes prodded the area, every nook and cranny of the forest. And then he'd found his target, sensed more than saw Itachi hidden amidst the shadows of a large oak tree. A sense of triumph shot through him at that moment like a kunai propelling straight through him and, caught up in his excitement, Sasuke launched himself towards his unsuspecting brother.

"Ah _hah_!" Sasuke leaped unto his back and clung to Itachi's broad shoulders. "Found you!" He leered victoriously.

Itachi grunted and braced himself against the sudden additional weight. He glanced over his shoulder and, simultaneously, at Sasuke's patronizing grin. Itachi did not hide his amusement, and chuckled contentedly. "You've certainly improved," he remarked, pride evident in his smile.

Sasuke's grin widened until his cheeks shone with a blush, obviously flattered by his older brother's praise.

Itachi's lips curled up into a surreptitious smirk, "But not enough to outdo me, little brother." And then, he disappeared in a burst of smoke and leaves, and Sasuke found himself gaping confoundedly at the wooden log in his arms.

His face contorted, and he scowled as his embarrassment converted into unreserved, petulant fury. He shoved the thing off of him and shot to his feet. "Show yourself!" Sasuke fumed, petulantly stomping his feet against the dirt as dust gathered into the air with the motion.

"_If you insist." _

His bother's voice was profound and everywhere at once, as if Itachi had spoken into his mind, the subliminal baritone louder and clearer than the blood that pounded in his ears. Sasuke stiffened.

And then, like a miasma of shadow that came to life and rose up from the ground, Itachi materialized in front of Sasuke. His eyes glowed like an inferno, red and smoldering amidst his handsome, yet vapid facial features.

Completely unprepared for the sudden proximity, Sasuke nearly stumbled and fell over in his attempts to move out of the way. He blinked up at Itachi from his place sprawled on the dirt, and the older boy peered at him with amusement vaguely crinkling the corners of his eyes, which had returned to its familiar obsidian black.

"That was _so_ cool!" Sasuke exclaimed, recovering quickly from his small state of shock. He was far too impressed to even recall his initial surprise or embarrassment.

Itachi's reserved expression broke into a shameless grin. "I thought you'd think so."

"Teach it to me, niisan!" Sasuke demanded, quickly shooting to his feet to clutch the hem of Itachi's shirtsleeve and tug at it insistently.

Itachi laughed lightly, as if the very idea seemed delightfully absurd. He pressed his middle and index finger against Sasuke's bare forehead and pushed hard enough to send the smaller boy stumbling backwards with a muffled cry. "Next time, Sasuke-chan," he promised flippantly.

"_Che_!" Sasuke scoffed and folded his arms in front of him, bottom lip protruding forth in a dour pout. "You _always_ say that!"

Itachi's smile faltered, and grew apologetic. He placed his palm on top of Sasuke's thick black hair and playfully ruffled it. "There's _always_ a next time."

Bitter with jealously, Sasuke glared up at him. The little boy resented being undermined by his peers and his family, least of all his own brother. "You always say _that_, too." He huffed, sighing dramatically.

"Let's go home," Itachi suggested, resignedly, "It's almost dark. Kaasan will be worried about you."

He didn't enjoy upsetting his little brother, or the idea that Sasuke resented him at all. But Itachi learned early on that he couldn't help the rivalry between them, even though he could care less for the fame or the power. The Uchihas possessed a deep-seated sense of pride and superiority that was both their weakness, and their strength. Itachi himself was not defined for who he was as an individual shinobi, but part of the Uchiha clan - whatever success he had, whatever he did, reflected upon the clan.

It was an annoying truth he'd learned to live with, being the indifferent and placating young man that he was. Itachi didn't often linger on that particular detail of his life, anyway. Not really. While he was an increasingly popular young figure in Konoha, among the whispers and closed doors of the Uchiha clan he was indefinitely the oddball. The black sheep. He was not proud, nor did he carry himself with superiority, and this was most uncommon for a typical Uchiha prodigy. He was just indifferent. But his prodigious skill as a shinobi made up for that abnormality, and so the elders and relatives could care less what his personality was like so long as he was an excellent ninja. If anything, he was no more and no less a weapon than the kunai in his pants pocket. The clan basked in his success as if they had something to do with it, while Itachi himself would shrug off any compliment with a flippant, yet polite word of thanks.

"Fine," Sasuke harrumphed, and Itachi decided that he shouldn't linger on the subject of his clan any more than he should.

The younger Uchiha leaped onto Itachi's back without warning, closing his arms around broad shoulders like a vice and causing the older brother to nearly stumble in his surprise. Readjusting his stance with ease, Itachi glanced over his shoulder incredulously at Sasuke's mischievous little grin.

"Don't let me fall, Itachi-nii!" Sasuke ordered, grin broadening.

Itachi smiled slightly, content with having Sasuke order him around if only to make his younger brother happy with him. While he knew it was not uncommon for sibling rivalry amongst clan members to create a gaping chasm between brothers, and he was accustomed to competitors, Itachi had never faced one such as his little brother. He was often torn between his own convictions, and his love for the younger Uchiha boy.

Sometimes he'd wish life were simpler, as simple as the his bond with his little brother...

"Mush!" Sasuke ordered playfully, gesturing his arm pointedly towards the general direction of their housing district. He pulled lightly at Itachi's loose ponytail, as if it were the reins to a horse.

Sasuke's shameless antics always surprised him, no matter how often the boy misbehaved. "Alright," Itachi smirked, and leapt into the sky without warning. Sasuke's high-pitched scream lasted for a solid minute and echoed over half of Konoha, hair flipping around wildly and eyes watering against the incredible speed his brother's feet were taking them.

…

Ino blinked, and glanced up at the ceiling. "Did you hear that?"

Ikkuko looked up, pausing from her place in front of the stove, "Hear what, Ino-chan?"

"Nothing," Ino dismissed uncertainly, though she could've sworn she'd heard a the distant sound of a girlish squeal come from outside.

It was late in the afternoon when Ino had returned home from the academy, her mood entirely dour. She had been training hard prior to that afternoon, even more so since the mission required a group effort and she'd been unfortunately teamed up with the resident lazy bum, Shikamaru Nara, and the dog-lover Kiba Inuzuka. They were both less than cooperative with her, and at one point she'd had to use her Mind-transfer jutsu just to subdue a hyperactive Kiba. And, of course, Shikamaru had hid under one of the desks and slept through the whole training session. In the name of Hokage, she hoped she'd never have to be stuck with such a lazy teammate ever again.

Ino sat around the kitchen table waiting for the meal that Ikkuko was preparing for her, simpering in her seat at the small portions of food that her mother was sliding into her plate. "Mama, I want more pork!" She ordered complainingly, slamming the palm of her hands against the surface of the kitchen table.

Ikkuko pointed her kitchen knife to Ino's direction and waved it pointedly, "You'll get more pork when you start eating all of your vegetables."

Ino harrumphed indignantly, "I'm not a baby!"

"No, you're worse. And if you want me to start treating you like you're older, then you better start eating your carrots like a grownup!" Ikkuko pouted, waving the knife above her head almost maniacally now, "I don't see why I should waste my gardening talents on vegetables my children don't even eat!"

Ino balked against the threatening aura of her mother, and hid under the table with a frightened squeak. She peered over the edge and stared warily at her mother. "Yes, ma'am…" She grumbled resignedly, returning to her seat and trying hard to resist the urge to protest. If anything, she could always convince Usagi to take her to the Ichiraku Ramen Bar later on. Usagi never refused an offer to eat at her favorite restaurant.

Since they were young, Usagi and Ino were kept in a meticulous diet by Ikkuko. It was essential to their training as kunoichi to maintain a healthy physical condition and develop self-control. Ikkuko took it upon herself to train her daughters. If nothing else, it made her all the more certain that her choice to resign from her rank as a special jounin was the right alternative.

Ikkuko Tsukino-Yamanaka had been an ANBU operative first, and a special jounin when she'd met Inoichi. And, until eight years ago, she was exceptional for her expertise in herbal medicine, poisonous weaponry, and impeccable hand-eye coordination. But she had been pregnant with Ino during the attack of the Kyuubi upon Konoha, and nearly lost her then unborn child to the demon. It had made her rethink her priorities, and she had abandoned the role of kunoichi altogether for an apron and the title of doting (if not a little overbearing) mother.

Inoichi instructed his children in ninjutsu and gengutsu as well, of course, because it was essential that they learn their bloodline, the Mind Transfer Jutsu. But he was more indulgent towards his daughters, and believed that they deserved to find their own shinobi way rather than be weighed down by conservative tradition.

When it had become apparent that Usagi had an excessive metabolism, she had been excluded from the diet exercise, whereas Ino remained obligated to the routine. Ino had developed an irrational sense of jealousy towards her older sister because of this, which resulted in her tendency to treat Usagi with disrespect. But she was young, and would only appreciate the training when it would surely come in hand in the future. Still, it did little to subdue Ino's insecurities.

The shoji doors of the Yamanaka household slid open, and Usagi gingerly stepped in, shrugging off her zori footwear and pushing them to the side.

"Oh, good, you're home early!" Ikkuko called, smiling in the direction of the hallway. "Come and have lunch with us."

Usagi paused upon entering the kitchen, as if mildly surprised to find her mother and younger sister there. Her hair was in a disarray, petals and leaves protruding out of errant curls, the buns atop her head were undone and steadily falling onto her shoulders. Her skin was flushed and filmed with a thin sheen of sweat and dirt, blue eyes glazed over and unfathomable. She looked winded and yet, at the same time, slightly breathtaking.

"You're a mess," Ino blurted, shooting her a patronizing grin. "Had one of your klutz attacks again, neesan?"

Usagi pouted irritably, her cheeks reddening, but she did not bother to retaliate. She sucked in a deep breath, as if to compose herself, and breezed past the kitchen table with not so much as a comeback to her little sister, which in turn made Ino's mouth hang open like a fish out of water.

Ino bolted up off of her seat, the chair falling back from the sudden motion. "Hey, come back here!" She demanded indignantly, as Usagi hurried upstairs.

"Ino, don't provoke your sister," Ikkuko huffed, grabbing Ino by the ear and pinching gently.

Ino yelped and conceded against her mother. She pouted, crocodile tears in her eyes, "But she started it!"

"How did she start it, she didn't _say _anything," Ikkuko scoffed.

"Exactly! That's not normal!" Ino complained.

Ikkuko rolled her eyes. "Just sit and eat!"

And Ino grudgingly obeyed, but was already determined to find out what her sister was hiding - and Usagi certainly was hiding something. It was in her glazed eyes and flushed, bruised lips.

…

Itachi skidded to a stop so suddenly Sasuke was nearly propelled forward from the momentum, but Itachi was careful to not let go of his hapless little brother. He propped Sasuke up on his shaking feet, and the little boy shoved the helping hand away with a pout.

"Why'd you slow down!?" Sasuke exclaimed, trying to ignore the residual fear that kept his heartbeat from maintaining an even pace.

Itachi blinked slowly, contemplative. "I thought we'd talk a bit more, we didn't have much time to talk when we sparred."

"What's the _real _reason?" Sasuke repeated, brows furled together in a gesture of impatient curiosity. His brother was a vague, quiet young man, which made him so difficult to read. But even Sasuke knew that Itachi was not a conversational ninja, and for him to say such a thing was almost startling. Besides, heart-to-heart talks seemed so... _emasculating_.

Itachi stared a little incredulously, "That _is_ the real reason."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, and decided there was no harm in humoring the older Uchiha heir. "Sometimes, niisan, you're almost as weird as girls."

Itachi had the decency to look sheepish at the remark, but smiled in quiet amusement. He playfully ruffled the top of Sasuke's head with his hand, to which the little boy immediately yelped in halfhearted protest. Itachi chuckled, "You're a little bratty, aren't you, Sasuke-chan?"

Sasuke flushed angrily and pouted. "Am not!"

To avoid further sibling quarreling, Itachi nodded resignedly. "I'm only joking," he conceded, though not quite convincingly. And, as if to change the subject, Itachi stated suddenly, "That's a nasty cut on your lip, Sasuke-chan."

Sasuke almost fell over his own two feet. Regaining his balance, he quickly turned to stare at his older bother, but Itachi was not even looking down at him. He was looking forward, in front of him, walking idly through the dirt path as if he hadn't noticed Sasuke's clumsily halting step.

Sasuke absentmindedly pressed his fingers over the scratch on his bottom lip, which had healed up quite nicely since Usagi's healing salve had been applied mere hours before. He remembered the unconventional way in which their lips met, and flushed in utter embarrassment.

"It was an accident," Sasuke huffed, rubbing his hand against his cheeks as if to remove the flush of red that he was sure was there.

"Really? I never took you to be so careless," Itachi remarked, clearly teasing now.

Sasuke's face grew even redder. "It wasn't my fault!" Except it was. Sort of. But he wasn't going to admit that to his older brother if he could help it.

"Then what happened?"

Eager to defend himself, Sasuke quickly explained, "I was climbing up the walls, like I always do when I want to be alone--"

"...you mean you wanted to run away?" Itachi interjected, mildly amused.

Sasuke glowered at him for interrupting, but nevertheless continued. "I _wanted_ to be alone, so I scaled the wall and leaped over it. But then _that girl_ had to get in the way! She came out of no where!" For dramatic emphasis, he waved his arms above him as if in utter exasperation.

Itachi snickered fondly at the childish gestures his brother made. He couldn't begin to fathom why Sasuke was in such a hurry to grow up. If anything, Itachi even envied Sasuke's youth. The civil war and Kyuubi attack in Konoha had began and ended before Sasuke was born, therefore the younger Uchiha heir had no real grasp of how tragic the shinobi way truly was. All Sasuke wanted was to be a better ninja, a better _assassin_, and surpass his prodigy of an older brother.

"...anyway I kind of bumped into her and we ended up on the ground and it wasn't my fault okay?" Sasuke said very quickly, in a single breath. He hoped that Itachi wouldn't understand, and just disregard it as some childish babble.

"Is that how you cut your lip?" Itachi said skeptically, though his voice was not demanding.

Sasuke stared miserably at his feet, cheeks a fiery red. He explained in a small voice, "Well, yeah... I mean... I guess my lip hit her teeth when we collided."

Suddenly Itachi understood why his brother was acting so strange, and at that he laughed lightly.

Sasuke's gaze whipped up to stare incredulously at his older brother.

"You kissed her!" Itachi accused, a small but otherwise playful smile on his face.

Sasuke's face couldn't possibly be any redder than it was now, his skin flushed completely from the neck up. "I...I d-didn't!" He wailed childishly, "Shut up!"

"Don't sound so upset..." Itachi grinned fondly towards his little brother, "Usagi-san is nice. You should consider yourself quite lucky to have gotten your first kiss from such a pretty girl." There was a sincerity in his voice that surprised even him.

Sasuke gaped. "Did you just say that?"

And Itachi blinked, "What?"

"You've _never_ complimented a girl before, much less shown any interest on something like their looks." There was a hint of jealousy in Sasuke's accusation which made Itachi frown. "What makes her so special?" Like most younger siblings, Sasuke did not like his big brother sparing attention to anyone but him.

Itachi's frown deepened. He realized he couldn't quite answer that question just yet. "I'm being logical. Would you have rather had your first kiss with someone homely?" He stated impassively.

Sasuke grimaced unhappily. In truth, he'd rather not have kissed anyone at all until he was good and ready! "We are not having this conversation, niisan."

...

Gingerly stepping out of the shower stall, Usagi reached for the towel she'd left on the sink and wrapped it around herself. Steam flowed out of the shower stall and combed through the parquet floor, curling around her ankles like tender fingers. She wrapped another towel around her hair, gathering it up into a bundle atop her head.

She'd needed a shower to get all the dirt off her skin, and the vegetation out of her hair. It had taken her fortyfive minutes just to rinse her hair completely. Usagi had also wanted to relax, and by the time she'd turned the dial which switched off the water running through the showerhead, she had almost completely forgotten about her awkward encounter with the Uchiha siblings earlier that afternoon.

She pushed aside the sliding paper door and almost screamed when she saw Ino standing right outside her bathroom. "Ino-chan!" She wailed angrily, her face flushed with both embarrassment and annoyance.

Ino easily ignored her older sister's retort and demanded bluntly, "Where were you today?"

"None of your business!" Usagi replied just as curtly, glaring down at the shorter blond.

Ino narrowed her eyes. "I'm telling dad!"

"I didn't do anything! I should be telling on _you_ for breaking and entering!"

"You made out with someone!"

Usagi paled considerably. "_What_? How did you...? It wasn't anything like that!"

Ino scoffed, "You're not fooling me! Sakura taught me all about the tell-tale signs of when someone's in a _steamy_ romance! Bruised lips, tousled hair, flushed cheeks and a dazed look in their eyes. You have all the symptoms!" She pointed her index finger accusingly up at Usagi.

"I'm going to have a serious talk with Sakura's mother. No eight year old child should know that much about stuff like that," Usagi grumbled, as if to herself, but Ino could hear her perfectly.

"Don't even try to change the subject, Usagi-neechan! So who is it? Whose your secret lover?"

"_Lover_?" Usagi flushed, but it was more out of anger than anything else, "How do you even know that word!? That's _it_, I'm going to scold Sakura _myself_!"

"Isn't that suppose to mean boyfriend or something?" Ino asked, feeling a little left out of the loop. She blushed at her own ignorance.

Usagi eyed Ino wearily, "Why do you even _care_?"

And Ino leered, "Are you kidding me? This is some grade A, blackmail material!"

"There is no honor in blackmail, you little brat!" Usagi pouted scathingly. "And I'm not in a relationship with anyone. I crashed into someone face first on my way to making a delivery, and it was just... pure _chaos _after that." She groaned and hid her face in her hands.

Ino eyed her sister warily, "Who did you bump into?"

Usagi shrugged. "Sasuke."

Ino scoffed. "What are the odds of _that _happening."

"I know, right?" Usagi chuckled at her own irony.

"It's like you're an Uchiha Magnet or something. Literally. The rest of the female population in Konoha would be _so_ jealous," Ino quipped offhandedly, "Except for me, of course. I _like _my dignity, thank you very much."

Usagi laughed in spite of the fact that she herself was probably counted among the undignified bunch that mooned over the Uchiha brothers. But she loved her sister's witty, outspoken attitude. Ino was quite independent for someone so young. Usagi even envied her for that, but it was more out of admiration than jealousy.

"So...what was he like?"

Usagi blinked. "Who?"

"_Sasuke_," Ino grated, exasperated at her big sister's cluelessness.

At that statement, Usagi grinned knowingly. "Why do you wanna know?"

"I'm just curious!" Ino blushed, but glared hard at the taller blonde. "I only ever see him at school. I'm just surprised he even gets out at all. He's so pale, it's like he's never heard of a tan before."

Usagi ignored her sister's defense, smiling fondly, "He was... kind of rude at first. But I'm sure that he was just embarrassed. He's just like any other eight-year-old brat."

Ino huffed. "Hey!"

Usagi held up her hands in a gesture of peace, and giggled, "Just kidding! Now, can you get out of my room so I can _change_?"

It was only then that Ino realized Usagi was in nothing but a flimsy white towel. Even with her long blonde hair damp against her skin, she looked unquestionably pretty. Her figure was slender and athletic, but there were definite curves in just the right places, and somehow Ino felt increasingly insignificant next to her clearly older sister.

"Whatever," Ino grumbled, stifling the jealousy that growled at the pit of her stomach.

"When I'm finished, we could go to Ichiraku's, and maybe get some ice-cream afterward!" Usagi smiled affectionately and ruffled Ino's short, soft blonde mop of hair. "To heck with mom's diet!"

And just like that, Ino loved her sister all over again.

...

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The flower **Iris** has a number of meanings, but the meaning used for this particular chapter is, "Your friendship means so much to me."

**A/N:** Sorry for the long impromptu hiatus _again_, everyone. Life's been overwhelming, but that's nothing new. This chapter would have been up months ago, but my computer crashed and I lost everything I had written down so far. I had to write this chapter all over again from memory alone, and that prospect just put me in a really bad Writer's Block. Feel free to "flame" me for my incompetence. XD

In this chapter, we have a little bit of Uchiha brotherly bonding! And some sisterly bonding between Usagi and Ino, as well. :) Usagi and Ino's relationship is a little less complicated compared to Sasuke and Itachi, but I tried to hint that there is a little bit of drama going on between the blonde sisters. Sort of.

_Tremendous thanks to everyone who've read and reviewed the last chapter, and everyone who've taken the time to subscribe, favorite, and/or review this story overall! This chapter is for you guys! _


	6. Common Elder

**6. Common Elder**

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_"What a desolate place would be a world without a flower! It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome. Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our stars the flowers of the heaven?"_ - A.J. Balfour

…

It was raining; the kind of slow, persistent drizzle which urged the people of Konoha to remain within the comforts of their homes, and perhaps gather around a warm hearth.

Usagi peered out of her bedroom window, visibly cringing at every flash of lightening that pierced through massive, thick bursts of encompassing black clouds. But there was no thunder to be heard, and it was a curious phenomenon that had Usagi drawn to her window to observe.

She sat on the edge of the windowsill in a plain white nightshirt and flannel pajama shorts. The ends of her blonde hair brushed against the back of her knees, undone from its combination of buns and ponytails.

The day before had been humid and sunny, it was almost disconcerting to see first-hand how easily the weather had changed overnight.

"Man, this weather stinks," Ino remarked pointlessly, and for a moment Usagi was taken aback by the sudden intrusion.

Pointedly, she said to her younger sister, "You're supposed to be in bed."

But Ino merely snorted.

Usagi stared at the smaller blonde, who had taken a seat on the other side of the windowsill. _How does she keep coming into my room without me noticing?_ She wondered, upset with herself rather than Ino's sneaky tactics. At least Ino was mastering her sense of stealth.

And yet, Ino's progress was a painful reminder of how much Usagi herself needed to work on her perceptive instincts, if she couldn't even sense her own little sister coming in through the door.

"I thought you said you were sick?" Usagi persisted, miffed at having been ignored so rudely.

Earlier that very morning, Ino Yamanaka had complained to have had a stomach ache and insisted she wasn't fit to attend her daily classes at the ninja academy. She'd made such a fuss, too, whimpering and moaning and appearing deeply unsettled. Usagi had felt particularly sympathetic, because it had been she who had treated the smaller blonde out for ramen and ice-cream the day before. Ino had devoured a plethora of mint chocolate chip ice-cream that was bound to make her sick, but Usagi had just wanted to enjoy herself with Ino's company, and had thought nothing of it at the time.

Ikkuko had not been happy upon discovering this, either.

"Ice-cream!?" The woman had screeched accusingly at either of her fair-haired daughters. "I had never permitted you to eat junk food, Ino Yamanaka! Now look where it's gotten you!"

"It wasn't her fault, mama," Usagi had placated, raising her hands up in front of her in a gesture of peace.

Ino had immediately thrown all the blame on Usagi, as well. "Yeah," she groaned, "Odango atama said it was okay! She said to heck with your diet, mama! It's all her fault, she manipulated me!"

Usagi glared incredulously at the shorter girl for selling her out. Ino, aware of an audience, groaned and clutched her stomach dramatically.

"I don't care whose fault it is," Ikkuko proclaimed vehemently, "The both of you will be punished accordingly!"

"No!" Ino wailed, "It's not fair, I'm sick! I'm took weak and frail for punishment!"

"And I just wanted to be a good sister!" Usagi smiled sheepishly, attempting to get out of her predicament despite the odds stacked against her. "I'm sorry!"

"Ikkuko-chan, maybe you should wait until Ino is feeling better," Inoichi suggested cautiously, torn between helping his daughters and submitting to his irate wife. "And, besides, it was just a little lapse in judgment. They just wanted to enjoy themselves and...uh..." Inoichi was becoming increasingly aware of Ikkuko's murderous gaze directly upon him, and seemed to have lost all resolve at that moment.

"Whipped," Ino muttered quietly.

Usagi shook her head in resignation, but had to admit that her father earned favor points for trying, at the very least.

"Shouldn't you be somewhere else, darling?" Ikkuko questioned her husband, her voice deceptively sweet, "You are a special jounin, after all. There should be mountains of work for you to do at the Hokage Tower!"

Inoichi had been married long enough to perceive his wife's praise was actually a carefully hidden threat. He blinked, feigned surprise, and made up a vague excuse about forgetting he had a D-ranked mission that required finding their neighbor's lost cat. He'd quickly left the room, but not before whispering "Good luck!" to his daughters.

In the end, however, Ikkuko's bark was far worse than her bite. She'd scolded them for one grueling half of an hour, and then decided that their punishment was to eat nothing but carrots for an entire week.

Usagi recalled her sentence with a grimace.

She _hated _carrots.

And Ino, being as young as she was, typically hated vegetables altogether. The only vegetable she could actually stand was tomatoes--which, now that Usagi thought about it, was actually a fruit... wasn't it?

Shaking her head, Usagi smiled wryly at such trivial thoughts. Her mind tended to wander; she knew that all too well.

"I was just faking the stomach ache, and it was all for nothing! Stupid rain! If only I'd known... hey, are you listening to me!?" Ino huffed, noting Usagi's eyes had taken on a dazed look about them, and she'd returned her gaze to the slivers of rainwater dripping along the windowpane.

Realizing that Ino was trying to catch her attention, Usagi wondered how long the smaller blonde had been talking during her silent musings. "No," she informed flippantly.

Ino flushed petulantly. "Odango atama, you were spacing out again!"

The older blonde grinned sheepishly in confirmation.

"You've been doing that a lot lately."

Usagi blinked innocently, "I have?"

Ino's eyes narrowed, "Ever since you said that Uchiha guy met you at the flower shop the other day."

Usagi shrugged and pointedly looked away, but her blush was nevertheless evident.

Ino bristled, but chose not to argue. Sometimes, her big sister's attention span truly was a hopeless case. "Whatever. It's not like today was special, anyway," she sighed resignedly, "At least I don't have to worry about school today. Kiba-kun always smells like a wet dog when it rains, and he stinks up the whole classroom." Ino visibly grimaced, her nose crinkling in distaste. Sometimes she'd wonder why they even allowed boys like him to attend the ninja academy—he was more animal than human.

Usagi snickered at her littler sister's expression, but abruptly fell silent, Ino's quip igniting a spark of recognition in her mind, and she realized she was forgetting something important. _Special... today was supposed to be special._

Usagi's mouth gaped open in a blood-curdling scream.

Ino almost fell off the windowsill, thoroughly startled by the horrid noise. "What's your problem!?" She exclaimed, outraged at having to be frightened like that.

"The flower shop! I have to get there! He'll be waiting!" Usagi babbled unintelligibly, running to her closet and flinging the door open. She grabbed a grey fleece pullover and pulled it over her shirt and pajama shorts. It fell to her knees. Without even considering wearing any footwear, she opened the window of her bedroom, ignoring Ino's demanding questions all the while.

Usagi peered into the curtain of rainfall in front of her through the open window, propping her hands against the windowsill and leaning forward. The raindrops hit her face in steady, heavy droplets. _It's not letting up_, she thought, frowning worriedly.

Ignoring Ino's deafening voice calling out to her, Usagi jumped.

...

In such an unpredictable weather, Usagi didn't trust leaping through rooftops to get to her destination. It was too dangerous and, while she was exceptionally quick on her feet, even she was aware that she wasn't as agile.

Barefoot, she ran through the streets and fought through the roaring downpour that fell like a thick curtain around her, occasionally sheltering under awnings and canopies nearby, but running off again just as quickly.

Cold and soaked to the bone, she was beginning to regret leaving the comforts of her warm, familiar bedroom and out into the increasing rainfall, but she was determined to get to the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

Suddenly thunder boomed overhead and, startled, Usagi slipped against the muddy dirt path. She whimpered, forcing herself to her feet, her tears lost in the rain and mud. She pressed the palm of her hands flat against her ears to shut out the terrifying bursts of sound, and ran. In her desperate haste and fear, she almost tripped on her own feet several times, but managed to catch herself every time.

Usagi made it to the Yamanaka Flower Shop in record time, but fear had made her journey feel painfully longer, and she was overwhelmed with relief once she reached the sheltering awning in front of the shop.

She immediately reached for the spare key her father hid above the doorframe of the shop, but even standing on her toes she couldn't reach the top of the doors.

Large, gloved hands closed around her waist and hoisted her up without warning, and Usagi let out a tiny squeak of surprise, but her outstretched hand felt the key around her fingertips and she clutched it desperately. The hands released her and her bare feet hit the ground with a dull, wet thud.

Usagi turned around and smiled up almost sheepishly at the towering ANBU operative before her, his posture slumped lazily and his demeanor seemingly aloof.

"I'll just open the doors, to let us in," she explained, her voice shaking from more than just the chill of the weather. She unlocked the door, pulled it open, and gestured him to go in first. "You can go in first, Kakashi-kun."

Hatake Kakashi shook the dew off of his hair and carelessly strode into the shop, the sole of his open-toed sandals leaving muddy tracks. Usagi stood at the foot of the entrance and wrung the moist out of her hair and jacket.

"Sorry for not coming in sooner. You were probably waiting for awhile, weren't you?" Usagi spoke apologetically, shutting the doors behind her.

Kakashi shrugged. "Not really."

Usagi stared at him, her head inclined in curiosity.

Thoughtfully, he scratched his cheek with his fingertips, "I wasn't planning on coming today, actually. I'd assumed the flower shop would be closed in this weather."

But Usagi knew for a fact that the infamous Hatake Kakashi never _assumed _anything. For his entire lackadaisical facade, his mind was as sharp as a fine-toothed blade.

"Eh?" She blinked, brows furrowed, "Then why are you here?" Surely, he was contradicting himself by even being here.

"I know you well enough to anticipate you coming here, in spite of the weather. You're a stubborn girl..." He explained through an indolent sigh.

Usagi's lips pursed into a sheepish smile. "So you came anyway, to make sure I was okay."

"Of course. I remembered, when you were little, you were afraid of thunder. You still are, aren't you?" He eyed her, brows raised.

Usagi pouted, embarrassed with her own childhood fear. "Well, not really...I mean, _yes_, but I couldn't just let you down. Today is...important."

Kakashi sighed a little dramatically, "You're too sentimental, even with matters that don't concern you."

It was a discreet word of caution, but she could tell that he had not meant to be reproachful. In fact, it was more or less out of concern. And yet, her smile wavered, and the trembling fists at her sides were not entirely from the cold. People always told her that sentimentality was a hindrance which heavily impeded her potential as a kunoichi, and she was getting tired of it. She'd rather keep her humanity over her title as a kunoichi, anyway.

"So are you," she murmured gingerly, and the statement itself was meant as innocuous observation rather than an accusation.

"Ah well, every shinobi has their little quirks," Kakashi shrugged, "But, for the record, I'm better at hiding it than you are." The corners of his visible eye crinkled, and Usagi knew he was grinning underneath that dark mask of his. She snorted and, absentmindedly, wondered what his lips must have looked like. The silver-haired nin's facemask always seemed a little unsettling to her.

But it wasn't her business to pry, especially with a ninja who was so guarded as to cover every feature of his face except his right eye. Still, she had a tendency to be inquisitive of her friends, and Kakashi was no exception.

She felt fingers close around her shoulder, and Kakashi said, seemingly flippant, "It's not a weakness, Usagi-chan."

"I know that, Kakashi-kun," Usagi reassured, beaming. And yet, she knew that this way of thinking was not entirely accepted among kunoichi. Female ninjas required a particular sense of impersonality. They needed to be hardened and clever and manipulative, and unlike everything that was Usagi's pacifistic, carefree nature. But Kakashi's small display of encouragement told her that he was her friend first and a critical shinobi second.

"Hmm," Kakashi responded indifferently, but it was uncertain whether he knew she was lying or not. He withdrew his hand from her shoulder and waved in a dismissive gesture, "A dozen flowers. You can pick what kind."

"Oh. Of course," Usagi smiled knowingly, familiar with Kakashi's usual orders. "I'll get right on it. It won't take too long."

Kakashi mumbled a noncommittal "_Hn_" in affirmation, already pulling out an orange, dog-eared paperback book from the back pocket of his cargo trousers.

Kakashi was a valued regular customer of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, and every month on a certain day he'd order a bouquet that was addressed to no one. He never spoke of whom the flowers were for, but Usagi was insatiably curious by nature and would sometimes imagine her silver-haired friend giving the floral gift to a woman he secretly admired. The thought would make her smile, but it was a decidedly amused smile, because it was hard to imagine the older man doing something so... thoughtful.

Because he bought flowers from the Yamanaka Flower Shop regularly, she'd formed a sense of kinship with the silver-haired ninja. They were similar in their carefree, friendly personalities. He was listless and quirky and even more so mysterious, and he only seemed to order Usagi's flowers.

Usagi chose pink carnations, carefully picking the flora from a designated row that provided such type of flowers, and gathered them together on top of the usual table for flower arrangements.

She arranged them in a way which left every pink carnation outstanding in its individuality, wrapping the beautiful cluster in a durable sheet of white, silken paper. It was simple and pretty, a gesture of tenderness and heartbreaking gratitude.

Affectionately, Usagi tied the bouquet with a silk ribbon and was so enamored in her work and personal reminiscence that she'd failed to noticed Kakashi's visible eye upon her.

He was staring intently at the shorter girl, even as her serene gaze lit up with a slight, unconscious smile. He eyed her tiny bare feet, mud wedged between her toes and a startling reddish bruise on her left ankle. Red mingled with the wet mud smeared over the wound and, without thinking, he muttered tersely, "You're bleeding."

"Done!" Usagi happily announced, ignoring his subtle outburst as if she hadn't heard. She handed the bouquet to him, and laughed outright at the perturbed furrow of his brows.

"Pink?" He mumbled, more curious than upset.

Usagi smiled amiably, "Pink carnations. They mean _'I'll never forget you'_."

"I just wanted flowers, they didn't have to be symbolic," Kakashi muttered offhandedly, taking the bouquet all the same. Somehow, it looked quite out of place in his arms; a deadly, seemingly hardened shinobi cradling a dozen pink carnations.

Usagi laughed lightly, "Why not both?"

In spite of his deceptively thoughtless words, she could tell that he was grateful. Since the day she'd met him, she had made a private little sport out of trying to decipher what he was feeling even when his expressions were literally hidden behind a mask. It was the little things—like the twinkle in his visible eye, the crease of his brow, the set of his jaw—that she'd learned to read so well. She was a little proud of herself for it.

Kakashi suddenly pinched her, decidedly averting her attention away from her digressing thoughts. She yelped and messaged the assaulted bicep, staring at him with wide, incredulous eyes.

Now certain that her attention was solely on him, Kakashi persisted, "Your ankle is bleeding, and it looks a little swollen, too." He carefully tucked the bouquet under his arm and eyed the injury critically.

Usagi blinked, her gaze falling to her ankles. When she noticed the growing bruise to her left, she was genuinely startled, "Oh! I tripped on my way here, I was in such a hurry I must not have noticed it before." The longer she stared at the bruise, the more it began to sting, as though simply acknowledging the wound intensified the pain. She shuffled uncomfortably, shifting most of her weight towards her uninjured right leg.

Kakashi eyed her obvious display of discomfort, even as he placed the bouquet on a nearby table and tugged at the frayed, cotton-spun red scarf around his neck. He slipped it off his shoulders and bent over on one knee, taking Usagi's ankle in his gloved hand despite her protests. He proceeded to wrap it around her wounded ankle.

"Wha—what are you doing!?" She demanded uselessly, trying to wriggle her ankle free from his surprisingly firm grasp, but she was at a disadvantage as she didn't want to cause further pain onto herself.

Kakashi chose to ignore her question and instead muttered conversationally, "Your feet are filthy...why are you even barefoot?"

Usagi flushed, and while she wanted to retort with a plausible excuse, she knew she had none. It had been her carelessness and haste that had made her disregard wearing proper footwear and that was certainly not something she wanted to admit to a prodigious shinobi.

"I can do it myself," she offered uselessly, becoming more and more uncomfortable.

Kakashi got mud on his fingers, grimaced, and then wiped the wet dirt off of him by carelessly smearing it upon her calves.

Usagi jerked at the additional physical contact and almost didn't stop herself from kicking his face in time. Their proximity within each other was, for some reason, making her increasingly unsettled. She was cold and grimy and soaked, and his fingers were a stark contrast, so warm and callused against her skin, which made the whole experience acutely unusual.

Satisfied with his work, Kakashi stood upright and said, "That would stop the bleeding, but you've seemed to have sprained your ankle. I'm not sure yet. The bruise doesn't seem serious, but you need to get to the hospital now if you don't want it to be."

Usagi gasped, "But it doesn't even hurt, I—OW!" Kakashi had experimentally prodded at her ankle with the tip of his sandal, and a sharp pain immediately shot through her leg. The wound erupted from a dull twinge to a steady, constant shock of pain that was gradually crawling up the length of her leg. She doubled over in pain, clutching at her left leg and glaring petulantly up at the chronically masked ninja.

She called Kakashi something offensive in her head, and then subsequently apologized to his late mother for ever implying that her son had grown up without a father.

"_Okay_, I get it. Maybe I should get this checked out."

Kakashi said flippantly, "Not maybe. It's imperative that you do. Shinobi shouldn't ignore their injuries, however small."

Usagi felt the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him. She hated being criticized, as if she didn't know _how _to be a shinobi.

"Before we do anything, would you please hand me that pot of Greater Celandine up on that shelf? It's the one with the little yellow flowers, and big green leaves."

Kakashi raised a brow, but followed her instructions and reached for the gestured flora on the shelf behind him. He handed it to her and she took it as she sat on a stool behind the check-out counter.

"If this is a sprained ankle, it's gonna hurt," she grinned ruefully, placing the pot of Greater Celandine on the counter, "I have to treat it quickly." With that said, Usagi performed a simple ice jutsu and chilled her ankle, willing it to act as cold compression in order to reduce swelling.

"Impressive," Kakashi remarked, though his voice was as listless as always, "Using a simple ice jutsu like that to act as an ice compressor for a sprained ankle… but what are the flowers for?"

Usagi beamed, "Thanks... and the flower's roots act as a painkiller. Just give me ten minutes and I can make tea and ointment for the both of us..."

"As interesting as this all is, I'd rather not wait. We should go now and let the hospital handle that," Kakashi admitted flippantly.

Usagi sighed. He was right; she really shouldn't waste any time. She hadn't meant to stay out for so long, intending only to prepare Kakashi's order and head back home before Ikkuko realized she'd snuck out, but returning home now seemed out of the question.

But he wasn't seriously going to insist she go to the hospital...? She was a medic herself! Well, medic-in-training, but that certainly counted for something!

Kakashi took the bouquet from the table and handed it to her, and Usagi warily took it. Before she could ask what he was doing, Kakashi turned his back to her and kneeled. He proceeded to say, "Get on my back, I can take you there myself."

"No!" Usagi said at once, without so much as a second thought. Her cheeks were so red it might as well have gone up in flames.

"Walking there on your own will only waste time and create further injury upon yourself," Kakashi informed patiently, glancing over his shoulder at her. He chuckled, clearly seeing her flustered look, and happily informed her, "If you won't comply willingly, I'll just have to hoist you over my shoulder."

Usagi grimaced at the prospect of being hauled to the hospital like some sort of animal, her lips pursed. She took a deep breath and willed herself to climb onto Kakashi's back, her arms encircling his neck. Kakashi pulled her slender legs around his waist and tucked his arms under the crook of her knees, shooting to his feet with ease. Usagi felt very small against him, marveling at how broad the man's shoulders were and how her legs almost couldn't wrap around his athletic physique. It was rather intimidating.

Together they emerged from the flower shop after locking up, and Usagi glanced up at the sky for a moment in regards to the fact that the rain storm had abated into a soft drizzle, and the clouds were becoming sparse, sunlight filtering through the silvery puffs of mist encompassing the sky.

Usagi yelped as Kakashi suddenly propelled them onto the roof of the shop and began bounding off the top of buildings, leaping off one roof just to leap off another. Her hold on him tightening in panic, she gaped below as the ground beneath them became increasingly out of reach, her hair whipping wildly around her. She felt unusually nauseas, but that was probably due to her sprained ankle.

Even with the additional weight of Usagi on his back and the slick wet surface of the roofs, Kakashi's dexterity and speed were exceptional, and when they'd reached the entrance to Konoha General in record time, Usagi was almost completely blow dried.

She tried to wriggle free and stand on her own, but Kakashi would not let go of her legs. He proceeded to walk into the hospital with her on his back as if it was not completely unconventional, and Usagi flushed vividly at the stares they were receiving.

She leaned forward and hissed into his ear, "Put me down, I can check myself in!"

"Necessary precaution. You're not fit to stand on your own," Kakashi informed amiably, not bothering to lower the sound of his voice.

Usagi contemplated strangling him, but he'd probably be able to counterattack and subdue her anyway. Still, it didn't stop her from imagining it...

"Usagi-chan?"

Usagi turned to the direction of the voice, recognizing a young girl with short cornflower blue hair and eyes which were an even deeper shade of blue. She was wearing a beige medic flak vest over a light blue pullover and black shorts, while standard open-toed sandals adorned her feet.

"Ami-chan!" Usagi greeted sheepishly, all too aware of the insinuative look on Ami's face.

"Oh. Hello Mizuno-san," Kakashi said, a smile in his voice, waving halfheartedly at Ami.

Mizuno Ami had been teammates with Usagi since they were genin. She was a reserved, diffident young genius with extensive knowledge on chakra and jutsus, and an impeccable photographic memory. She was a compulsive overachiever and an exceptional strategist, so much so that she'd once been offered a position in ANBU once before, skipping the jounin exams altogether. But Ami hadn't even been interested. She instead wanted to be a great doctor and medic-nin one day. Like Usagi, Ami was a devoted pacifist.

"Uhm, are you okay Usagi-chan?" Ami's brows furrowed. Her expression was that of genuine concern, obviously worried as to why Usagi was in the hospital. She glanced at Kakashi, "What happened?"

Usagi struggled to get off of Kakashi's back. "I'm fine, Ami-chan! I tripped and just hurt my ankle, that's all."

Ami blinked and then sighed, unsurprised. "Well, I'm sure Saeko-sensei will patch you up. But you need to be more careful next time, Usagi-chan," she reprimanded gently, shooting the blonde a reproachful look through her wire-rimmed glasses.

"Sheesh, I'm being scolded left and right today," Usagi sighed dramatically. She furrowed her brows, dreading the prospect of her own medic instructor seeing her. She and Ami were both under the tutelage of Saeko Mizuno, the dean of medicine for Konoha's General Hospital, and Ami's mother besides. "Couldn't you do it, Ami-chan? It's just a sprained ankle, and Saeko-sensei probably has more important things to do..."

"How _is_ your mother doing? Not overworking herself, I hope," Kakashi stated conversationally.

Ami smiled, "Saeko-sensei is fine, though you should ask _her _that. We work in completely different departments, even though I work here I still rarely see her. Only during our medic training..."

Usagi was not going to have them hold up a conversation while she was still on Kakashi's back. That was ridiculous. "Put me down or I'm pulling out all your hair, Kakashi-kun!"

Ami giggled and changed the subject, gesturing for them to follow her into one of the small examination rooms used for clinic checkups. "Fine, I'll give you a medical myself. Put her down on the bed there."

Kakashi placed Usagi onto the plastic-leather bed with ease, which seemed more like an examination table, hard and cold. She winced. Despite the help of the ice jutsu, half of her left leg was faintly swollen and tinted an unsightly plum color. Neither Ami nor Usagi regarded Kakashi as he sidled out of the room, and out of sight.

"Let me see..." Ami mumbled, leaning forward to peer critically at Usagi's sprained ankle. "This is very good, the ice jutsu and makeshift bandage helped prevent further damage. What do you need me for?" She smiled fondly, as though admiring a work of art.

"C'mon Ami, you know you possess a greater chakra control than mine," Usagi admitted sheepishly.

Ami blushed, looking away, "N-nonsense! You're just as capable of healing yourself."

"Try telling _that_ to Kakashi," Usagi snorted, ignoring honorifics altogether. It was a habit done only when she was upset. "Besides, you're a far better medic, and I wouldn't trust myself with a patient either, much less my own injuries. I'm practically disaster-prone myself!"

Ami shook her head, an unsettled frown tugging at the corners of her mouth. She harbored an acute dislike for whenever her precious friend felt the need to be self-deprecating. Regardless of her faults, Ami genuinely believed that Usagi's strong sense of love and justice outweighed such trivial vices. Usagi was a decidedly good, compassionate human being and Ami both admired and envied her blonde friend for that very reason.

Ami spoke delicately, "Usagi..."

The blonde flashed an insincere grin, "Its fine! I don't care; I know I'm a little incompetent—"

"_No_," Ami interrupted, her voice sharp with finality. "I'm certain Kakashi-san just wanted to make sure you'd be okay, and the surest way is this hospital. That doesn't mean he thinks you're incompetent, and for the record neither do I!" Ami declared with unexpected passion, gazing resolutely into Usagi's eyes.

Usagi's face flushed in mortification, but she was more so touched by her blue-haired friend's earnest words.

Suddenly noticing for the first time Usagi's state of dress, Ami's brows furrowed, "Why...?"

"Am I barefoot and in pajama shorts?" Usagi offered, laughing gently, "Long story."

Ami stared dubiously, "I bet."

Without warning, Usagi pulled Ami up into her arms, and embraced her almost fiercely. "Thank you, Ami-chan," she murmured happily, before releasing the startled blushing girl.

Ami smiled, happy that their conversation was no longer awkward. "Now let's get this ankle of yours fixed, shall we?" She declared cheerfully, and Usagi grinned broadly in response.

Ami proceeded to examine Usagi's sprained ankle, her expression set into a concentrated frown as bright green chakra poured out of her hands and into the bruising, sprained muscles beneath the tender skin. Ami pressed her fingertips gently against pressure points in Usagi's ankle, willing the muscles to unclench and the chakra to flow freely once more. When she was finished, she wrapped the ankle in a thin, simple cast.

Usagi stared at her right foot, "It still kind of hurts."

"That's normal. You'll feel a dull ache for about a week or two, but it ultimately depends on the amount of stress you put on your ankle. Until then, you shouldn't move too much..." Ami sighed, "I'm sorry, but it was the best I could do."

"It's fine, Ami-chan. I wasn't complaining," Usagi assured, chuckling nervously and hoping she had not unwittingly upset the blue-haired medic-nin.

"I wish I had the Byakuugan right now, it would have made the process much more precise," Ami mentioned ruefully, "Or even the Sharingan, so I could memorize all of the pressure points in a shinobi's body. Even with my photographic memory, it's humanly impossible to commit such an overwhelming number of chakra points to memory." She sighed, as if disappointed in herself.

Usagi never understood why Ami was so hard on herself sometimes. Ami was a genius in her own right, and the youngest full-fledged medic in Konoha. She was a medic prodigy, and in spite of her success she was still humble and compassionate in everything she did. Usagi admired her friend, and disliked it when Ami's insecurities refused to let her see the greatness within her.

"Ami-chan, it's not your fault you weren't born with those bloodlimites. They're genetic. It's impossible to obtain them without being born an Uchiha or Hyuuga..." Usagi frowned, "Well, unless you have some sort of eye transplant, but even then there's no guarantee it would work. Such special eyes usually reject an unfamiliar host unless they're truly worthy."

Ami furrowed her brows, "Worthy?"

"Something in the genes, I don't know." Usagi remarked dismissively, "Kakashi-kun mentioned it once."

"Fascinating," Ami remarked, genuinely intrigued, "What else did he tell you?"

Usagi balked at Ami's all too eager look, as if realizing she'd just revealed a secret she wasn't supposed to. She mumbled evasively, "Um...that's all."

The Uchiha and Hyuuga's Kekkei Genkais were purposefully shrouded in mystery, and it was only through her friendship with Hatake Kakashi that she knew anything at all, and even his information was vague. It wasn't her place to speak of the bloodlimits of those clans in particular.

"I should study this more thoroughly," Ami said, as if to herself. "I wonder if Saeko-sensei will allow me to go through some of the Hyuuga Clan's medical files..." Large, prominent clans like the Hyuuga Clan and the Uchiha Clan had their own medics and didn't often require the help of Konoha's General Hospital, but on the few rare occasions in which they did, their medical reports and files were tucked away in a secretive compartment submersible only to the Dean of Medicine.

Usagi said with a start, "What for?!"

"In the name of medical science, of course!"

"Ami-chan, just promise me you're not going to surgically remove some poor Hyuuga's eyes out in his sleep, and you can go on with this pointless research of yours," Usagi demanded wearily, all too aware of some of the lengths the genius kunoichi took to excel in the study of medicine. The girl was dead-set on becoming the best doctor in all of the Fire Country.

Ami pouted adorably.

...

Several minutes later, Usagi found herself seated upon one of the stiff metal chairs provided in the lobby of Konoha's General Hospital. Ami had had to return to her clinic duty, and had left Usagi to loiter around the lobby of the clinic. She was in no hurry to return home and face the wrath of her over-pretentious mother, an overprotective father and, worse yet, her nosey little sister. Ami did mention that it wasn't a good idea to put too much stress on her ankle, after all, and it seemed that the very man who'd brought her here was nowhere in her range of sight.

Kakashi had left the hospital grounds completely, most likely to take his order of pink carnations to their intended. She didn't have much hope in his return, and was half convinced that he had forgotten about her altogether.

That particular notion failed to surprise her, and she wasn't angry at him for leaving. Kakashi had a habit of being forgetful. If anything, she felt as though she'd been a burden, and made a mental note to personally apologize and thank him the next time they'd meet. He had taken the time off of his own daily schedule just to bring her here, if for nothing else but the assurance that she would be safely healed. It was a thoughtful gesture that was unlike him, and Usagi knew that he must have been genuinely concerned for her. It was proof that their friendship was not just of her imagination, and she was grateful for it.

Usagi impassively watched patients enter and exit through the main entrance of the lobby, thoroughly bored. There were a variety of people; feverish children accompanied by doting mothers, shinobi whom were either poisoned or injured, young errand boys picking up medicine for the sick and old...

Had she not been staring at the double doors, she would not have noticed the wizened old man ambling in, wearing traditional white robes and a veiled, conical sedge hat. Usagi blinked, unsure if what she herself was seeing with her own eyes.

Almost as soon as he'd entered, the staff and patients alike greeted him genially, some even bowing at his presence, and at that moment Usagi knew she wasn't imagining it.

"Hokage-sama?" She said, as if to herself, but the old man's quick ears heard her all the same.

Sarutobi Hiruzen smiled genially at her, and greeted, "Usagi-san, it's good to see you." Taking a seat directly across from her, he noticed the bindings on her ankle, and said sympathetically, "Though I wish it were under better circumstances. Are you all right?"

Usagi blushed, squirming uncomfortably. She bowed graciously, as best she could manage sitting on a chair, "I'm fine, Hokage-sama, thank you for asking. It's nothing, really, but Kakashi-kun insisted I come here to get it properly looked at." She giggled sheepishly, "Um, what are you doing here, Hokage-sama?"

"I was hoping to pick up my medication."

"Couldn't you have asked someone else to do that?"

Saurtobi chuckled, and leaned forward conspiratorially, "Actually, I just wanted to get out of that stuffy little office. Even Hokages need a brake once in awhile."

Usagi giggled. She understood all too well about wanting some free time to relax once in awhile.

A nurse suddenly walked up to the two, and bowed. "I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, Hokage-sama, but here's your medication." She handed him a white, neatly packaged paper bag.

Sarutobi blinked, "Already? What about the others in line?"

"Surely, you are an exception, Hokage-sama," the nurse replied, smiling cheerfully.

The old man sighed resignedly. "So much for my time off…"

Usagi was both impressed and appalled at the special treatment the Hokage seemed to receive. While he certainly was an important figure among Konoha and Usagi herself harbored no hard feelings towards the kind old patriarch, she found it unfair that he was made a priority above all the others. Some of the patients must have been waiting for hours, and yet the Hokage only had to wait for a few minutes. Usagi believed that in a hospital, everyone should be treated as equals. All life was precious in that sense.

As the nurse left, Usagi could not help the displeasure that shone in her eyes, and it did not go unnoticed by Sarutobi. "I apologize for the interruption, Usagi-san," he said sincerely.

Usagi faintly blushed, and stared at her hands folded upon her lap. "I'm not upset about that, Hokage-sama."

"Then what is it that has upset you?"

Usagi met the old man's patient gaze, her brows arched in mild surprise. "Oh. Nothing."

Sarutobi chuckled fondly. "I may be old, but I'm not blind. Not yet, anyway," he quipped in subtle mirth, "Something's bothering you."

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama," Usagi apologized, embarrassed now. The blush on her cheeks grew brighter, and she doggedly kept her eyes on her lap as she spoke. "It's just...I thought it was a bit unfair that you got such special treatment, when everyone else was here before you had to wait much longer."

Sarutobi touched his chin thoughtfully, "You're right."

"I'm sorry! I—wait what?" Usagi blinked wide eyes.

Sarutobi grinned, "You're absolutely right. I should speak to the nurses about making the other patients a priority." He stood up, his posture resolute, and made his way to the receptionist behind the counter situated at the end of the crowded room. Everyone parted to make a path for him immediately.

Usagi watched as the Hokage spoke cheerfully to the nurses, though she couldn't hear their conversation. He was gesturing to the patients sitting tiredly around the reception area, and towards Usagi in particular. She couldn't help but find the sudden attention unwanted, and unconsciously tried to shrink into her seat.

What had she gotten herself into this time?

She studied the Hokage's facial expressions from a distance, watching the slow frown which unfurled his pinched, wrinkled features. He glanced towards her general direction and caught her staring. Usagi looked away, immediately embarrassed.

She did not pay any further attention to the bickering adults until she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, and her eyes met Sarutobi's smiling face. He appeared as though he'd just settled an important peace treaty, the satisfaction and pride evident in the squaring of his shoulders.

Peering critically over his shoulder was an elderly nurse, and the oldest personnel in the hospital. The woman had worked for the hospital for a long time, and while she was not entirely experienced in medicine, she was a kind and motherly woman who took care of the sick indiscriminately. The nursing staff treated her as though she were a wise old grandmother.

"Um, hi," Usagi greeted awkwardly, cautiously waving her hand at the pair.

The elderly woman smiled in an idle manner that was meant to be reassuring, but there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes that Usagi couldn't quite understand.

"Usagi-san, this is Togi-san," Sarutobi started, but Usagi politely interrupted.

"I know, Hokage-sama," she admitted, "I've volunteered here a lot on my spare time, when I'm not out on a mission. Togi-san is the head nurse of this department." She only knew _of _Togi, but not personally. They didn't often work together in the hospital.

"Very good," Sarutobi smiled, mildly surprised upon hearing this, "Then I'm sure you two can work together just fine."

Usagi felt a hint of dread twist inside her chest, but she suppressed the need to ask what exactly was going on.

"Hokage-sama tells me that you are adept in medicine," Togi supplied helpfully, though her expression was skeptical. "We're running short on nurses today, and the ones we have available are novices. It's why we haven't been working up to par with our usual standards."

"I offered your services to them," Sarutobi smiled. "As a Yamanaka, I'm sure you're very familiar in herbal medicines and remedies. With your help, I'm sure the clinic will work more efficiently."

"Hokage-sama, if I may...object..." Togi frowned gently, "She seems injured. Surely you don't expect her to exert herself...?"

Sarutobi said cheerfully, "Nonsense. She'll only be providing guidance to the newer nurses, and any work she will do should not be too stressful."

Mouth pursed, Togi sighed. "Very well, Hokage-sama."

Usagi felt vaguely indignant at the fact that they spoke about her as if she wasn't there, but said nothing. While she was usually expressive and outspoken, even Usagi knew when to keep her thoughts to herself.

"I can do it," Usagi insisted suddenly, drawing their attention back to her. "I'd be more than happy to help."

Sarutobi clasped his gnarled hands together cheerfully, "It's settled then."

Usagi and Togi smiled warily at the quirky old man.

...

It was two hours into the impromptu task Usagi had suddenly found herself in, and it wasn't as troublesome as she'd expected. They'd provided her a fresh change of clothes: a spare nurse's uniform and even a clean pair of sensible shoes. She'd gathered her hair up into a large bun just above the nape of her neck.

Usagi enjoyed helping and healing others, and had insisted on helping with clinic duty altogether rather than supervising the nurses. She allowed herself to forget about how worried or angry her family would probably be, ignored the dull twinge of her ankle, and just concentrated on the task the Hokage had given her. Because when the Hokage personally granted her a mission, she took it with reverence. He was a respectable, fair leader that genuinely cared for the people of Konoha, and she was grateful for his compassion.

Speaking of which, the old man had been caught playing hooky and was escorted out of the hospital by an overzealous shinobi who called himself Ebisu. Usagi would have laughed at the spectacle, if the young man had not been so distressed, borderline paranoid, at the idea of Sarutobi shirking off his duties. She couldn't blame the Hokage, though. She could only imagine how uneventful it could be cooped up in an office signing treaties all day.

She shook herself out of her thoughts and returned to her task at hand. "It's just a cold, ma'am. If she takes these, then she'll be as good as new by tomorrow," she informed amiably, smiling at the woman and the child in her arms. She offered her the small paper bag of herbs over the counter. "Just dry the roots and grind them into powder, and then use that as an herbal tea. It'll be bitter, but she'll be all better in no time."

"Thank you," the woman said, returning the smile halfheartedly. She was the paranoid type of mother, but Usagi was familiar with overprotective parents and was all too happy to reassure the woman that her daughter was just suffering from a head cold.

As the woman left, Togi remarked, "You're doing well." As if she was mildly surprised. She had been observing Usagi's handiwork like a hawk.

Usagi wondered if the woman had anything better to do in a hospital full of sick, needy patients.

"Thanks," Usagi responded noncommittally, not quite sure if the older woman had meant to sound skeptical.

"Do you need to sit down?"

"No thanks, I'm fine. Really." She tried to suppress the irritation tightening inside her chest. The elderly nurse wasn't _trying _to sound patronizing, she was sure. Usagi was always being underestimated by her peers, and it came to a point where she couldn't blame them for their misjudgment. She was petite and seemingly naive, the kind of impression that wasn't often lumped together with the likes of shinobi, or even medics.

"You've been working for two hours straight, Usagi-san, and you're injured. I'd feel better if you took a few minutes rest, at the very least," Togi spoke with surprising sincerity.

Usagi eyed the elderly woman warily, but thought perhaps she mistook the old nurse's concern for prejudice. Usagi immediately felt guilty. She'd always complained to herself about how people misunderstood her, and yet she was being a hypocrite to a woman whose only concern was her safety, and in turn the safety of the patients.

Usagi wearily rubbed her hand against her head. What was wrong with her today? She'd been unusually depressing lately, it wasn't like her...

Maybe it was the sprained ankle, a painful reminder of her carelessness and henceforth, her inadequacy as a kunoichi, or that strange little debacle with Kakashi...

"I think you're right... maybe I should get some fresh air. It wouldn't be good for me or the patients if I work myself sick." She conceded sheepishly, messaging the nape of her neck with her hand. "I'll be back in thirty minutes, alright?"

Togi nodded, smiling gently in relief.

When Usagi exited the building, she felt the crisp breeze sweep over her like a wave. It had stopped raining hours ago, but there was still a thick layer of silvery clouds above Konoha, casting cool shadows over the village. The air was fresh and humid, and the decorative shrubbery surrounding the shape of the hospital was coated in dew.

Usagi stared up at the sky, simply enjoying the soothing chill of the wind against her skin. Something warm and soft brushed up against her leg, and she gave a jolt of surprise as she glanced down at the familiar black cat curled around her ankles.

"You!" Usagi exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. The cat mewled, rubbing its neck against her in an affectionate hug. Usagi smiled wryly, "Oh, _now_ you warm up to me?" She carefully dropped to her knees, being mindful of her injured ankle, and gathered the cat into her arms. She stared at the crescent moon on its forehead, and the cat stared back with eerie red eyes. "Where's your owner, huh kitty?" She glanced around the vicinity.

The cat leaped out of her arms abruptly, startling her. It landed on the ground with ease, and turned to gaze up at Usagi with an unfathomable look. There was an air of sobriety about the cat, and as it ambled away, Usagi felt the urge to follow it—as if she knew the cat had wanted her to do justthat all along. She trusted her instincts, and warily pursued the dark feline.

It led her a few blocks away from the hospital, into one of the public housing districts of Konoha. There were cheap, quaint little apartments built against one another in rows.

The cat turned a corner abruptly, and entered an alleyway between two apartment buildings. Usagi struggled to catch up to it, entering the alley in time to see the cat leaping up onto a fire escape route and sauntering upstairs.

"You've got to be kidding me," Usagi groaned, staring apprehensively at the iron-wrought staircase conjoined to side of the apartment building.

She heard the cat hiss urgently from its perch on a window, and it almost sounded impatient.

"Fine," Usagi grumbled, not quite believing that she talking to a cat, much less taking orders from it. She pulled the adjustable ladder down and climbed up it, carefully walking up the metal stairs until she reached the very top, where the cat stood on the sill of an open window. Usagi peered inside it, but the room was hidden in shadow.

The cat hopped into the room.

Usagi gasped, "Don't!" She tried to pull it back, but it easily evaded her outstretched hand and wandered further into the apartment. "Kitty! Come back here!" She whispered indignantly. She was not about to enter a stranger's home without permission, not even for that bossy black cat.

She heard the cat growl and hiss, as if calling out to Usagi. Its cries echoed eerily against the walls of the empty apartment. But Usagi refused to listen. "I'm not going in," she spoke into the room. "It's dark in there!"

The clouds seemed to recede, herded away by the sudden gust of wind that blew in from the east. Sunlight filtered through the dispersing clouds in brilliant golden streaks. Stray beams slinked through the window Usagi was peering in, and as the light slowly pervaded the room, she caught sight of the black cat—and the small, prone body lying on the wooden floor.

Usagi gasped, and without thinking leaped into the room. She tripped fell to the floor in a heap, but ignored her blunder in her haste to get to the body. She shot to her feet and ran over to the body, a small boy lying on his stomach. She turned the boy on his back and recognized his face almost at once; he was the same blonde boy from the day before.

His face was flushed, and she felt him burning up as her hands touched his cheek. He was in the same clothes from yesterday; in fact, he hadn't seemed to have cleaned up at all. With a sense of trepidation, she wondered how long he'd just been lying there.

Usagi gathered him up into her arms, and looked around her for the first time. She seemed to be in a small kitchen, but she had to find the bedroom.

Usagi felt the black cat curl around her legs again, pawing gently at the cast on her left foot. She gazed down at it, her eyes unusually grim. Usagi hesitated, before asking the cat, "Can you lead me to the bedroom?" The cat shot her a measured look, and nodded—actually _nodded_—before sauntering into the short hallway ahead of them, its tail in the air.

Cradling the blonde boy closer to her chest, Usagi followed the black cat.

...

* * *

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The flower known as **Common Elder **can mean _compassion_.

**A/N:** For those of you who are wondering, Saeko is the name of Ami's mother in the live-action Sailor Moon Japanese TV series. The live-action series is the only series in which Ami's mother is important enough to be given a name, apparently. XD Ami calls her "Saeko-sensei" out of deep respect, because her mother is the dean of medicine.

This chapter introduces some characters, and their relationships with Usagi. I know this is an Ita/Usa fic, but it is also a story about Usagi and her life as a kunoichi. This includes the friends she makes, her enemies (if any), and how she generally struggles with her own insecurities. Her relationship with Itachi is just another part of her life she needs to sort out.

I know it's been awhile, but I always seem to be in a rut halfway through writing the chapters. _ Sorry…?

_Big _thanks to **Purr**, **Princesakarlita411**, **SailorHeart 01**, **Lemon Cupcakes**, **Lady Light**, **Memphis Atari**, **Rtistyk**, **Sailor Silver Rose**, **Serenity Wayne**, **Chaos**, **Fire Dolphin**, **Sailor Wolf4**, and **Chaney2250** for your reviews and kind words! They mean a lot to me, and while I don't have the time to reply to all your reviews, I hope you know I still read them all and appreciate them all the same. =)


	7. Yarrow

**7. Yarrow **

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* * *

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_"Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them." _- Chinese proverb

…

"I summoned you here because I am not blind to what the elders have in store for you."

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but I don't know what you mean."

Sarutobi grimaced, "I'm insulted that the elders, much less _you_, doubt my intelligence. Do you really think that I would not have caught wind of the council elders' plans to overthrow the Uchiha Clan?"

The room was unnervingly dark, the small lamp dangling from the ceiling casting more shadows than light. Sarutobi had kept the windows closed and the curtains drawn for discretion. Only vague slivers of sunlight could filter through the blinds. Itachi stood, as stiff as a board, in front of the Hokage's desk.

"You must see reason. This coup is not the answer; it will not bring peace like the elders have claimed."

"But it will prevent a war. The abstinence of war is no different than peace."

"That is where you're wrong, boy. While there is an abstinence of war, the mistrust and hatred among the people will remain for that duration. True peace requires no prejudice, no hatred, _no bloodshed_—only serenity, and love. Therefore this coup is futile and completely contradictory to the peace you claim you desire for this village!"

Sarutobi kept his temper at bay, but his intention was to gouge a reaction out of the chronically stoic young man. He felt a great sympathy for the boy before him, but Uchiha Itachi was unfailingly stubborn in his convictions. It was enough to get the Hokage's old heart pumping with the strength of his frustration.

Sarutobi continued, saying, "I summoned you to tell you that you have a _choice_, Itachi-san. Bloodshed is not the only alternative; the elders only _want_ you to believe it is. You desire peace for Konoha more than anyone in this village, and the elders are using that to their advantage. They're manipulating you. They have brainwashed you. You are a mere puppet in the greater scheme of things!"

Itachi closed his eyes, as if in meditation. He knew he wasn't being brainwashed by the elders, he wasn't even particularly fond of the decrepit old crones. He had _chosen_ to betray his clan out of his own free will—for Konoha, and only Konoha.

He didn't expect the Hokage to understand, but for now, he would humor the old man. "So be it. I will be a puppet to their will, if only to protect this village from the terrors it had faced years ago—the terrors that _I _was forced towitness as a boy." His eyes suddenly reopened, and they were as red as blood, smoldering against the shadows like hot coals. His gaze was accusing, and Sarutobi fought the urge to look away in shame. "The ends justify the means, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi frowned, "But your own clan? Are you really willing to take their lives?"

"That should go without saying," Itachi stated, careful to keep his voice soft and impersonal.

"Even your father, and your mother?" Sarutobi asked, incredulous, "Even your own little brother?"

Itachi did not respond immediately, and Sarutobi could see in Itachi's expression that the young man was mulling over these questions, searching through his mind for an answer that was the most dispassionate, the one which steered clear of the humanity he fought to conceal.

Sarutobi did not wait for an answer. "Reconsider your decision, Itachi-san," he implored, almost desperately. "Bloodshed is not the answer, I'm sure you are aware of that in spite of what the elders have tried to beat into that stubborn, brilliant mind of yours. It will only bring more pain. Maybe not in the immediate future, but someday your actions _will _bring forth grave consequences." When Itachi remained silent and expressionless, Sarutobi sighed, "Give me time, Itachi-san. Please. I will find a way to negotiate an end to this that will require no blood on your hands, or on anyone else's."

The silence seemed to stretch on for miles, but Sarutobi refused to say another word until Itachi spoke first.

Itachi's mouth was set into a dubious frown, but he gave an almost imperceptible nod of his head. "For the record, I don't have faith in your methods at all, but I respect them—and I respect you. However, if all else fails, the coup will take place accordingly."

Sarutobi exhaled a deep sigh that was not quite relief. There was nothing more to be said after that, and when Sarutobi blinked, Itachi was gone, fading into the shadows and out of sight.

Now Sarutobi was alone to mull over the magnitude of the situation, as well as the conundrum that was Uchiha Itachi.

The Konoha council elders were banking everything they had on the Uchiha prodigy. They wanted him to do their dirty work, and the misguided boy seemed all too willing to do so. It was every council elder's wet dream to posses a soldier as impressive as Itachi at their disposal, and now they had him.

Sarutobi knew that if Itachi was dead-set on this mission, he would follow through spectacularly. For all his political influence, he was powerless against Itachi's free will. If the boy genuinely chose to perform the coup, neither consequential punishment nor the Hokage's word really mattered. It would go on either way; Itachi was nothing if not thorough.

But if Sarutobi could convince the boy that this coup was all wrong, then the elders would have nothing, and lives would be spared. If Itachi willingly chose _not_ to overthrow and obliterate the Uchiha Clan, the elders couldn't stop him or change his mind, either. This was why Sarutobi had to remind Itachi that he still had a choice, but the boy didn't seem to think so.

How, then, would he go about teaching Itachi that evil could not drive out evil, and darkness could not drive out darkness? Only love and light could manage such a feat.

Itachi only knew darkness. He had gone through such suffering as a child in the last Ninja War, that he knew nothing else. While Itachi coveted peace, his methods of attaining it were twisted and wrong.

Itachi kept a deceptively reserved façade, but Sarutobi's wise old eyes could see straight through it. He knew the boy's darkest fears. Itachi feared war and meaningless bloodshed, the very same war and bloodshed that took place in Konoha when he was only four years of age. His fear was so profound that he was willing to do anything to prevent it from becoming real once again, and that included forfeiting his own humanity and the lives of his clan.

"I need a break," Sarutobi grumbled and, for the first time in his life, he felt as old as he looked. With respite in mind, he decided to sneak out of the Hokage Tower and head towards Konoha's General Hospital. He'd needed to pick up his medication, anyway.

...

Usagi kneeled at the edge of the thin futon in which the boy occupied, dipping a clean white washcloth into the bowl of cool water she had prepared next to her. She wrung the cloth above the bowl, twisting it until every last drop had gone, and proceeded to smooth the damp material over the boy's forehead. She let her hand linger there, her palm pressed against the washcloth upon his temples almost affectionately. Her brows drew together in worry, and her lips were pursed into a troubled frown.

The boy's eyes were closed, but there was erratic movement under his eyelids which indicated he was dreaming. By the expression on his face, it couldn't have been something good.

"I hope he's alright," she mumbled, glancing at the black cat at her side that was casually licking the back of its paw. She'd gotten use to talking to it. Talking, even to a cat, helped her relax, and stifled her worry just a little. She only wished she knew the cat's name, as well as the boy's.

Usagi had made a rough diagnosis that he was suffering from a fever which had been going on for less than a day or two, and might have very well caught pneumonia. It was phenomenal how he'd survived so long without medical attention; Usagi thought he must have had an incredible immune system. The scratches on his arm were infected, but she'd easily healed that herself with her own chakra. He was looking slightly better now.

His clothes were vaguely sodden, his hair matted and wet against his scalp, but Usagi knew that it wasn't just his sweat. He'd foolishly gone out into the rainstorm which had happened earlier that morning, possibly worsening his condition. Usagi wondered what could have made him do such a reckless thing, but she didn't believe she had the right to scold him. She'd been out in that weather, too, and had paid the price with a sprained ankle.

Usagi sighed, wiping her brow with the back of her hand. It had been severely hot in the apartment, and Usagi had had to open the door and all of the few windows available in the small bedroom. She'd had to unfasten a few of the buttons on her white blouse, and the painfully tight bun she'd done her hair up in was now slack and unkempt, stray slivers of golden hair falling over her face and ears.

Usagi puckered her lips and blew away a stray strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes, as she proceeded to observe the blonde boy's condition. A moment later, she turned to acknowledge the cat at her side, which was staring at her almost expectantly, and informed it, "At this rate, I'll have to take him to the hospital. I don't have the medical supplies to take care of him here."

Behind her, she heard the door to the apartment suddenly close with a resounding _click_. Apprehension tensed her body, her senses sharpening instinctively, and she glanced behind her. Shooting to her feet, Usagi called warily into the hallway, "Hello?" At her feet, the black cat was hissing irritably.

The small corridor was empty, and she could clearly see the kitchenette at the opposite end of the hall. There was nobody in her line of sight, but it did little to ease her suspicion. As a precaution, her eyes searched the room for anything that might substitute as a weapon.

She found a backscratcher underneath some dirty laundry, and sighed resignedly as she picked it up. It would have to do.

Usagi closed her fingers around the backscratcher's handle and held it in front of her like a sword. The soles of her bare feet silently touched the wooden floor as she sauntered through the length of the hall. She moved slowly, being mindful of the creaks in the wooden planks she'd discovered earlier. She'd almost tripped on a rubber frog, but miraculously managed to regain her balance without making a sound, and would have kicked the thing away if she hadn't known that, when applied pressure, the toy made a croaking noise. Usagi had witnessed the cat playing with the rubber frog earlier, and that was how she'd known.

She sensed more than saw the figure in the hall, sidled against the wall, waiting for her. She hesitated, not quite certain just how resourceful or powerful this intruder was.

If she was honest with herself, Usagi would even admit that she was terribly afraid—not for own safety, but for the blonde boy in the other room. He was sick with a fever and possibly even pneumonia. It was just her luck that an assailant would trespass into this apparent _now_, of all times. She was determined to make this quick, with the intent of incapacitating the intruder and subsequently leaving with the boy to head toward the hospital.

Usagi entered the kitchen and saw the silhouette of the intruder, a lean figure of a man. She raised the backscratcher, ready to strike him, but suddenly the black cat leapt up onto the man's face and began scratching and clawing viciously.

Alarmed and more than a little confounded by the sight, Usagi dropped the backscratcher and just stared at what was transpiring before her. It was almost comical, had the poor guy not been wailing and yelping with each calculated swipe of the cat's protracted claws.

"WAUGH! Get _off,_ you crazy animal!" He exclaimed, trying to pry the cat off of its face with both hands.

Usagi blinked. _Wait… I recognize that voice!_ Quickly, she reached for the light switch and turned on the lights.

The sudden burst of light seemed to have startled both the black cat and the young man, but only one of them had quickly recovered. He threw the cat off of him, and the black cat yelped in mid-air until it hit the rotating fan attached to the center of the ceiling. It clung to one of the propellers and remained there.

Usagi gawked. "Seiya?"

Seiya Kou was gingerly touching the scratches on his face, his mouth set into an acute pout. He spotted her and grinned, as if he were genuinely pleased to see her. "Usagi-chan! I'm glad I found you." To her astonishment, he wore what seemed to be an ANBU uniform: the close-fitting outfit was almost entirely black, with protective metal arm-guards and a cropped gray flak vest over the sleeveless, fitted black jumpsuit he wore. Black open-toed sandals adorned his feet, and tucked over his hands were thin, long black gloves which rode up to his biceps. He also wore a cowl, but had pulled it down and let it fall around his neck.

Usagi blinked. "You were looking for me?"

"Half of Konoha's ninjas have been looking for you ever since Inoichi Yamanaka placed a missing person call on you. He seemed a little hysterical, too." Seiya explained, stifling a smile at the memory of Usagi's father close to tears, demanding every available ANBU squad to join in the manhunt. It was actually quite comical.

Usagi paled. Knowing her father, she was sure that he was overreacting and throwing everything out of proportion. "How did you manage to find me?"

Seiya grinned, and then gestured an index finger to his nose. "It's your scent—this way, it's not hard to tell you apart from the rest. You smell fantastic, like flowers and sweets." To emphasize his point, Seiya leaned his face close to hers and took in a deep breath through his nose, his eyes closed and a pleased smile on his face.

Usagi blushed vividly. Panicking, she took a sudden step back. In her haste, she forgot about the rubber frog in the hall and slipped on it. It made a loud croaking noise, drowning out her undignified yelp as gravity eagerly dragged her down.

Alarmed, Seiya reflexively closed his hands around her waist and pulled her towards him, preventing her from falling on her back. Instead, she stumbled forward awkwardly and straight into his arms, her face pressed against his chest.

Seiya blinked, slightly stunned at finding himself in her involuntary embrace. But his surprise quickly melted away, and his mouth stretched up into a playful grin, "Not only do you smell like flowers, but you're soft like them, too." His arms tightened around her waist, and his grin only broadened as he added, "_Nice_ nurse's uniform, by the way."

Her face glowing beet red, Usagi pushed herself off of him as if she'd been burned. She pointed a finger at him accusingly, and said, "How come you never told me you were a ninja?"

"I'm sorry, was I supposed to?" Seiya grinned insolently.

Usagi pouted, "Well… yeah!"

Seiya shrugged. "Well, maybe if you hadn't _oh so subtly_ kicked me out of your flower shop, I could have told you then."

Usagi huffed, folding her arms across her chest. "Forget it, I don't really care anyway."

It was Seiya's turn to pout, but he was mocking her. "You're so unkind. Is that how you treat all your friends?"

"I just met you _yesterday_!" Usagi grated, poking him sharply in the chest for good measure, but all that managed to do was hurt her index finger.

"Minor details," Seiya said, waving his hand dismissively. "And anyway, I need to bring you back to your father so I could get my reward money."

"Papa put out a _reward_?"

Seiya smiled cheerfully, ignoring her discontent. "Yup. And if I ever want to get in his good graces, I need you to come with me. Now, come on." His hand moved to take hers, but she pulled away defiantly.

"I'm not leaving until I get him to the hospital!" Usagi declared, and every ounce of her demeanor was defensive and stubborn.

Seiya blinked, "Him?"

Usagi informed him, "The boy in the other room, he lives here and he's very sick. I had found him passed out in this kitchen, and I've done all I can, but he needs a proper hospital."

She showed him to the room in which the young blonde boy occupied, and as Seiya stared at the child, the charming mirth in his eyes was gone. His mouth was set into a grim frown, and there was a distinct crease to his shapely brows. Usagi marveled at Seiya's transformation from a jovial youth, to this serious, humorless ninja.

"We'll have to hurry, then," Seiya declared, his voice strong with righteous conviction. He looked at her then with a small, reassuring smile on his face. "Will you be able to walk on your own for very long?"

At first Usagi wasn't quite sure what he was talking about, but she suddenly remembered the cast on her ankle. She nodded mutely, not trusting her own voice, and wondered when he'd noticed her cast.

Seiya nodded. "I don't doubt that you'd want to follow me, to make sure he's okay. If at any time you're in pain, don't hesitate to tell me. I'll carry you, too, if I have to." With that said, he gathered the boy into his arms.

He was right, there was no way she'd leave the blonde boy with a stranger, and she'd wanted to be there when he woke up.

They'd jogged towards the hospital and kept a steady pace. The apartment complex wasn't too far from the hospital and they would have easily gotten there in seconds if they'd ran at full speed, but Seiya had been concerned that Usagi running on her sprained ankle would cause further damage upon herself.

Usagi had paced herself, but she was impatient. She'd run as swiftly as she was able to, stubbornly ignoring the pain in her ankle. She'd even urged Seiya to go on without her, knowing that she'd eventually catch up, but the older boy didn't want to leave her and she'd refused to be carried on his back. Once was enough, she wasn't about to piggyback on _another _ANBU ninja today.

It wasn't long before they reached Konoha's General Hospital. Usagi entered first, Seiya close behind with the boy in his arms.

Usagi spotted Togi, and with relief she called out to the elderly nurse. "Togi-san!"

Togi looked up from her place sorting paperwork behind the reception desk. She easily found Usagi among the crowd, for the blonde girl was waving her arm urgently.

"Usagi-chan?" She spoke, mildly surprised, "You've been gone for almost an hour. What happened?" But as she noticed Seiya behind Usagi, and the boy he held in his arm, her expression became grim.

"I found this boy passed out in his apartment. He seemed to be alone, so I tried to relieve the fever as best I could, but he needs proper treatment here." Usagi informed her. She hadn't noticed that the bustling emergency ward was suddenly quiet, but Seiya did. He was acutely aware of the stares which seemed to burn holes into his back.

Togi shook her head. "Usagi," she said carefully, "I can't allow that."

Usagi stared at the elderly woman as if she'd just doused her with ice water. "What?"

"That boy…" Togi continued, expressionless, "He is not welcomed here."

A cold, almost irrational rage seemed to settle inside of Usagi's chest upon hearing such a heartless statement. "Why not? He's sick, and this is a hospital. It's our responsibility to treat him, or he could die!"

"Good riddance," someone spoke up among the crowd of orderlies, but Usagi ignored them. If she didn't, it wouldn't help abate the storm that was steadily gaining strength within her.

She had thought Togi was a nice, caring old woman. Somehow, she felt betrayed upon knowing that that didn't seem to be the case here.

"He's just a boy," Seiya spoke up, his expression deeply reproachful as he glowered at Togi, "What could he have possibly done to make all of you refuse to treat him?" There was righteous fury in his voice.

"I don't expect _you_ to understand, boy," Togi grated, "You were not born here, you can't possibly know of the tragedies that transpired on the day that _abomination _was born." Her implication was clear: Seiya was just as much an outsider as the boy he held in his arms.

"What are you talking about!?" Usagi demanded, and her voice rose almost deafeningly. "I swear to you as a shinobi, if you don't give him a room and proper treatment, I'll personally see to it that the Hokage fires you for negligence!" She wasn't bluffing, and that was only made more certain by the look in her eyes.

Usagi was not a genuinely angry person by nature. She would pout and bristle and whine when she was irritable, but to be purely overwhelmed with rage was a very rare occurrence.

But when she _was _angry—when she was really, truly outraged—her temper was a force to be reckoned with. And it was a sight to behold. She did not whine or pout or bristle, no. Instead, her face was uncharacteristically expressionless, and reserved with a dangerous sort of calm, but her blue eyes revealed in great detail the magnitude of her fury and what was in store for the hapless soul who'd dare defy her.

Togi, for all her years treating and even working with shinobi, had never feared one until now. She nodded almost imperceptibly, relenting because she was practically given no other choice.

Almost instantaneously, Usagi beamed, as if she'd never been angry to begin with. "Thank you, Togi-san! I knew weren't a heartless old hag!"

Togi blinked, inwardly fuming.

Usagi grabbed an equally stunned Seiya by his upper arm and pulled him along, gesturing him to follow her. "I already know where to go! I'm sure you can just fill out the necessary papers on your own, since you' seem to know this boy _so _well. By the way, what's his name again?"

Togi's shriveled lips were pursed into a mean frown as she grumbled, "_Naruto_."

Usagi's smile broadened. "How cute, one of my favorite parts of ramen!"

Seiya stared at her with a wary sense of awe as he followed her into an empty corridor, not quite trusting his voice.

She led them into the nearest room, where she'd made quick work of cleaning the dirt off Naruto's skin, changing him into a fresh hospital gown, and settling him on the bed. Usagi made it a point to have him sit up in his sleep, placing several pillows behind to prop his back up. She'd pierced an IV needle into a vein in his left arm, which was attached to a four-legged hook nearby, and administered the antibiotic into his system.

Usagi did these tasks with tender care, and a familiarity that told Seiya she'd done it before. Throughout her ministrations, Naruto had not even stirred. If this made her worry, she didn't show it.

When she was certain that the boy was safe and properly treated, she and Seiya sat on two chairs across from the bed and simply waited. No one seemed to come in to check on them, and Usagi was certain now one would for awhile. Usagi stared at Naruto's sleeping figure for what felt like hours, and the silence seemed to stretch on for miles.

"What you did out there," Seiya started, wanting to break the ice, "That was…phenomenal."

Usagi glanced at him, blushing sheepishly. "Oh… sorry you had to see that."

"_I'm_ not sorry," Seiya leered, "That old hag got what she deserved."

Usagi shook her head, "I hate being angry. It's such a horrible feeling, but sometimes I can't help it. I wish I could, though. I can't imagine why anyone would want live in hatred all their lives."

"You were angry for the right reasons, at least," Seiya reassured, "And besides, you look kind of sexy when you're mad."

Her face entirely red, Usagi hit him over the head painlessly, but hard enough to make him feel it. "You—you _lecher_! Just when I was actually beginning to like you, you just go and say something stupid!"

Seiya covered his head with his hands, pouting tearfully. "I was trying to compliment you!"

"What kind of compliment is that!? Only a lecher would say something like that, and you're it!"

It was during that heated, one-sided argument that they both heard a soft whimper come from the hospital bed. Her annoyance forgotten, Usagi's head turned toward the sound around the same time Seiya's did. Both of their expressions seemed to mirror surprise.

Usagi was at Naruto's side almost immediately, before Seiya even realized she'd left her chair. He stood and watched the young boy from a distance, feeling a bit out of place.

Naruto's eyes opened stiffly, and he stirred, groaning a little. Usagi marveled yet again at the blue of his eyes. They were a slightly lighter shade of her own royal blues, and reminded her of clear, deep waters.

Naruto looked at her for a moment, his expression an amalgam of emotions. He seemed awed, frightened, and bewildered all at once.

"Don't worry," Usagi said, smiling gently. "You'll be alright. You're in a place where we'll take care of you."

"Am I dead?" Naruto groaned, his voice hoarse from exhaustion. "Is this heaven?" He sounded like he couldn't believe it, as if heaven was the last place he'd expect to find himself after death.

Usagi blinked, silently stunned. "No, Naruto-chan, this is the hospital. You were sick. I found you and took you here so you can get better."

Naruto frowned, "You're not an angel?"

Usagi blushed, and Seiya grinned upon overhearing this.

"Well, technically," Seiya started cheerfully, seeing as Usagi was rendered speechless, "She can be your earth-bound guardian angel, since she was the one who found you and took care of you the whole time."

"Actually, it was your cat that led me to you," Usagi admitted, briefly shooting an irritable look at Seiya.

"Luna?" Naruto sat up stiffly, "Did she run off again? She's always doing that." He looked up at Usagi, narrowing his eyes at her. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere, lady?"

"You can call me Usagi-chan," Usagi smiled happily, "And you bumped into me the other day, with Luna in your arms." She was inwardly glad to finally know the black cat's name, and that it was obviously female.

Naruto's eyes darkened. "Oh yeah. That was the day Kiba tried to hurt Luna. She had run off again, and that stupid mutt thought it'd be funny to tie firecrackers and cans to her tail." His hands on his lap curled into fists. "I showed _him_, though. Damn dog."

"Hey," Usagi chided indignantly, "Kids your age shouldn't swear!"

Naruto looked at her as if she were a strange unfamiliar creature.

"But," Usagi added, flushing sheepishly at his stare, "You did a good thing protecting your friend, I guess."

Naruto beamed, and gloated, "Thanks! Kiba hit me with a lot of cheap shots, but the stupid mutt didn't grow up in the streets like I did! He was crying for him mommy by the time I was done with him!" He gestured to himself proudly, "My name's Naruto, by the way! Naruto Uzumaki, and don't you forget it!"

"Alright, kid!" Seiya cheered, until Usagi elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow!"

She let Seiya and Naruto exchange stories to one another for several minutes, since they seemed to get along rather well. It was clear that Naruto was enjoying the attention, as well as Seiya.

But their animated conversation was just white noise in the background to her. Usagi was deep in thought. She marveled at the Naruto's cheerful, outspoken demeanor. He seemed perfectly healthy, too. His immune system was incredible, even for a child. She wondered why such a bright boy was scorned by people like Togi.

There were several gentle knocks on the door, but it still jolted Usagi out of her concentration. "Who is it?" She called warily.

The door opened slowly, and Ami's face peered into the room. Usagi was relieved to see her friend.

"Usagi-chan, may I speak with you?"

Usagi glanced at the boys, who had discontinued their conversation to stare at the newcomer. Ami blushed at the attention.

"Who might you be?" Seiya asked, grinning. He stood up to greet her, bowing above the waist.

Ami's blush darkened vividly. "Ah, S-Seiya-san! It's an honor to meet you!" She bowed deeply, almost forming a perfect L shape.

"That's not fair," Seiya grinned, "You know my name, but I don't know yours."

At this point, Ami's face was an impossible shade of red. "Ami," she managed to squeak. "Mizuno Ami."

Usagi did not appreciate the sly smirk on Seiya's face. She tugged at Ami's sleeve and ushered her out into the hall, reminding the blue-haired medic that she'd wanted to speak with her. She sent a warning look at Seiya, but it only seemed to amuse him. He winked at Usagi as she huffily closed the door behind them.

Now alone, Usagi stared at Ami quizzically. "Ami-chan, you know Seiya-kun?"

"I know _of_ him," Ami admitted sheepishly, "He's captain of the Three Lights."

"Three Lights?" Usagi repeated, clueless. Why did that sound familiar?

Ami looked at her in shock. "You've never heard of them!?" When Usagi promptly shook her head, Ami went on to explain, "They're a very exclusive and highly talented ANBU squad. They consist of only three members, all of which are not even out of their teens. They're child prodigies! The _main _reason for their fame, however, is their beautiful voices. They sing at the summer festivals every year, and tickets are always sold out! They donate the proceeds to Konoha's ninja academy."

"No wonder I don't know them. Papa would never allow me to go to a concert alone, _especially _for an all-boy singing group." Usagi muttered bitterly.

Ami shook her head. "I can't believe you don't know of them… but it's understandable, I suppose. The summer festivals is the _only _time anyone ever sees them—other than that, you'd usually never see them walking around the streets like ordinary people." Ami tapped her chin with her fingertips thoughtfully, "But if that were true, how'd you manage to meet Seiya-kun?"

"My father put out a missing persons report on me," Usagi sighed. "He called in every ninja available, including ANBU. Seiya-kun just happened to be the first one to find me." She didn't mention that she'd also met Seiya the other day in the flower shop; she was sure that that particular detail wasn't important.

Ami responded to that statement with a blank stare, a comically large drop of sweat rolling down her temple.

"Let's change the subject," Usagi pouted. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh. Of course," Ami said, blushing slightly for getting distracted. She composed herself, and explained, "I heard you threatened to slit Togi-san's throat with a kunai."

Usagi gaped. "W-What!? No, I—where did you hear that?"

"Gossip travels like wildfire around here," Ami informed sagely.

Usagi looked close to tears. "You don't believe them do you? I'd never do that to a helpless old lady, even if she is a hag!"

Ami smiled nervously, uncomfortable at the sight of Usagi's watery doe eyes, "Of course not! It's too absurd. You'd never willingly threaten to hurt anyone if you could help it. However, I am concerned. What really happened?"

"I only threatened Togi-_baba_ that I'd report her for malpractice because she refused to treat Naruto-chan!"

"Naruto-chan?"

"The boy in the room with Seiya."

Ami frowned, "Why in the world would she refuse a child? She's never done such a thing before…"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"I'll ask Saeko-sensei to talk to her," Ami reassured, "I'm sure she had a… _reason_ for what she did."

Usagi nodded, wanting to believe her blue-haired friend.

…

Ami had assured Usagi and Seiya that she'd take care of Naruto personally, and insisted that Usagi get home to get some rest and not let her family worry about her any longer.

Seiya insisted on escorting her to her father, and Usagi only agreed because she didn't trust the lecher around Ami. Ami was a shy impressionable girl and she didn't want Seiya's lecherous ways tainting the sweet, innocent medic.

Seiya led her outside the Hokage Tower, where Usagi recognized her cousin, Fū Yamanaka, waiting outside. The young man's eyes shown with relief upon seeing her, but his face remained expressionless.

"There you are," Fū chided calmly, as they reached him. "Uncle has been worried sick about you. I had to put aside my own duties just to placate him." He took hold of her waist and drew her to his side, eyeing Seiya warily. "Thank you for bringing her to us."

Seiya merely grinned.

Usagi glanced at her cousin, slightly nervous. It was unheard of for the Yamanaka Clan's members to be unattractive, and Fū was no exception. He was a tall, enigmatic young man of 17, with a shock of shoulder-length auburn hair and pale green eyes. His features were serious and masculine, a strong square jaw and a large nose that didn't quite look unflattering on him. He didn't share the blue eyes and blonde hair that most of the clan members did.

He was an exceptional shinobi, and had just recently been inducted into a very exclusive ANBU special ops project constructed by the Konoha elders. This made the Yamanaka Clan proud of him, and Usagi had to admire his dedication. Since then, he often kept to himself and his duties as a member of ANBU, and Usagi rarely saw him outside of his ANBU uniform, if she saw him at all.

"You may leave now, Kou-san. Return to your duties," Fū ordered dismissively, gesturing for Usagi to follow him inside the Hokage Tower.

This time, Seiya frowned. "Actually, I think I'll stick around, if you don't mind. I'm sure Inoichi-san would like to know how I found her."

Fu stared at Seiya sharply, "I'm sure Usagi-san can tell him that herself."

"But _I_ found her. It's only right that I make sure she makes it safely to her father, as well."

"Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary. She's my family—I won't let anything happen to her. If bragging rights is what you're after, I'll be sure to tell my uncle of your heroic endeavors."

Seiya bared his teeth in a grin that wasn't quite pleasant. "I'd rather do that myself." He said sarcastically.

Fū's expression was unfathomable, as he countered, "How unsurprising that a member of the Three Lights would want to gloat about something as simple as a search-and-rescue mission."

The angry tension was palpable now, as the two young men stared each other down, neither of them blinking.

"Fū-chan," Usagi mumbled, tugging at his red shirtsleeve imploringly, "Just let him come with us. He deserves it. He helped me today and I'm very grateful."

Fū blinked, and bent down to sternly whisper in Usagi's ear, "You're in no position to be making requests. Your father has been very worried about you. We all have. You don't just jump out of your window, _directly into a storm_, and _not _expect Uncle to go mad with worry. What were you thinking?"

Usagi pouted, "You spoke to Ino-chan, I see."

"She told me that you ran off to meet a _man_." As he said this, Fū's expression seemed to reveal a hint of disapproval through his deceptively impersonal façade. "It's not_ him_, is it?" He made a discreet gesture toward Seiya, but Usagi shook her head vigorously.

"No," she insisted in hushed tones, unable to stop the blush to rise to her cheeks. "I just met him yesterday, so I barely know him!"

"Who is it, then?"

"If I told you, you'd just tell Papa! And besides, he's just a friend and I forgot today I had to do a favor for him, that's why I ran off in such a rush."

"In the rain?" Fū raised an eyebrow.

Usagi huffed, "_Yes_. I take my friendships very seriously!"

"If only that wasn't the only thing you took seriously…" Fū frowned.

"_Shut up_. I've just about _had_ _it _with everyone criticizing me today! What, is it Criticize Usagi Day and nobody told me!?" She wasn't whispering anymore. Fū had had to stand back to avoid hurting his ears.

Seiya watched the conversation unfold with a hint of amusement, wondering why they thought that he couldn't hear them. It was rather insulting, actually. He was an ANBU captain; he'd been trained to heighten all five of his senses (and more) so that they were as keen as a wolf's, and he was the best hunter-nin in his squad. Fū should've known better, at least. Then again, Fū didn't seem to care if Seiya knew what he thought of him.

Eventually, Fū had conceded to Usagi's demands, and the three of them entered the building. As they strode through the halls, heading upstairs, Seiya had made it a point to strike up a conversation with Usagi, subtly flirting with her just to annoy the third wheel. Usagi seemed oblivious to his advances, or just chose to ignore it, as she humored him with the one-sided discussion.

Her mind was too preoccupied with dread to bother talking, even when he'd ask her a question. Seiya didn't seem to mind, though. He seemed to enjoy talking about himself.

Usagi felt a dull tingling sensation at the back of her head, and then a sharp pang as she heard Fū's voice ring in her mind: _Make him shut up_.

Usagi winced at the sudden mental intrusion.

Seiya noticed this. "Are you alright, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi disregarded him, and instead openly glared at Fū's back. He was ahead of them, leading them to where her father resided. She reinforced her mental defenses, and sent a sharp thought through his psyche: _DO IT YOURSELF, JERK!_

The sudden mental shove exploded through his mind and Fū nearly fell over in shock.

The Yamanaka clan was renowned for their mental capabilities. Their minds possessed a wide range of potential, and were considered a great asset to Konoha's ninja military. It was the reason they were considered one of the powerful clans in Konoha, even though they weren't necessarily the oldest, or the most traditional.

One of their psychic abilities was telepathy, but it was only activated among kin. Yamanaka's could not read the minds of those they weren't related to by blood, at least not without direct physical contact and a great deal of concentration.

Fū was using his telepathy now, at the expense of Usagi, whom didn't appreciate his unpermitted mental prodding. She wasn't use to it, preferring to speak face-to-face rather than through an impersonal mental link, and it always gave her a headache afterward, anyway. That was why she always kept an imposing mental shield wrapped thickly around her mind, protecting herself from the headache-inducing telepathic frequencies every time she was around her kin. The only reason Fū was able to penetrate it was because he was exceptional in all of the Yamanaka's psychic techniques, and they were in close proximity of each other. The Yamanaka's telepathy was more powerful when they were nearby one another.

Seiya's gaze alternated between the two Yamanakas, feeling that something was amiss. They hadn't stopped walking, but Usagi was kneading her fingers against her temple in mild irritation, and Fū had nearly tripped on air only a moment ago.

"Is there something I'm missing?" He muttered helplessly. They ignored him, and he pouted at the lack of attention.

Fū led them into a room, and Usagi was slightly startled to find that her father was not the only one in the room. The Hokage was also present. She only prayed to the gods that her father would not make a huge scene in front of him.

"Usagi-chan!" Inoichi exclaimed upon seeing her, immediately flinging himself forward and pulling her into a crushing bear hug.

The Hokage stood behind Inoichi, and glanced up at Usagi's blushing, mortified face tucked over her father's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Usagi-chan," Sarutobi sighed, chuckling sheepishly, "I tried to tell your father that you were at the hospital, but when he'd left to retrieve you, it seemed you weren't there."

Usagi awkwardly tried to push away from her father's strong embrace. "I'm fine, Papa," She mumbled meekly.

"Who found her?" Sarutobi addressed Fū, but Seiya answered first, much to Fū's annoyance.

"I did, sir," Seiya piped in, bowing lightly.

"Where was she?"

"In an apartment within the ghetto district not too far from the hospital. She was tending to a sick boy there… his name was Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto, I think." Seiya informed dutifully.

The room seemed to fall into an unusual silence.

Inoichi had paused and looked at his daughter, vaguely stunned. Usagi stared back without blinking. She could not fathom why the blonde boy's name always seemed to bring this kind of reaction out of others, but she didn't appreciate it.

"Naruto-kun is sick?" Sarutobi frowned. He seemed to be the only one unable to notice the odd tension in the room.

"Not anymore," Seiya stated, smiling slightly, "Usagi-chan made sure of that. The hospital had almost refused to accept him, but she was adamant in treating him. It was a very noble deed—you should be proud, Inoichi-san." The last part he addressed to Inoichi, staring at the older man.

"I am…? Of course I am!" Inoichi said, narrowing his eyes at Seiya as if the boy had just accused him of lying. He tried to hug Usagi closer to him, almost possessively, but Usagi quickly slipped out of his grasp before he could embarrass her any further.

"I'm sorry, Papa. I left the house because I remembered I had to make a delivery of flowers that day, and I didn't tell anyone about it because I was in such a hurry, I panicked," she relented, bowing meekly. "I sprained my ankle on my way to the flower shop, so I had to go to the hospital to get it properly looked at. I'm sure Hokage-sama has told you the rest, and now you know why I wasn't present when you'd tried to find me at the hospital."

Only one thing seemed to register in Inoichi's head out of the entire explanation. "You sprained your ankle!? Let me see!"

"Papaaa, it's nothing, really! It barely hurts anymore!"

Inoichi seemed not to hear her, and barraged her with a trail of questions, "How could you have sprained your ankle? What exactly happened? Did someone attack you?"

A muscle under Usagi's eye twitched. "I just _tripped_. You know how I am, I'm clumsy and it was raining…"

Sarutobi cleared his throat, effectively gaining the attention of the four other occupants in the room. "I'd like to get a full report by Seiya of the incident with Naruto, as well as Usagi's statement. Inoichi-san and Fū-san, you may be dismissed."

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but I can't just leave my daughter after I've just found her!" Inoichi insisted.

"If you must, wait for her outside the Hokage Tower," Sarutobi ordered firmly. "Fū, you may return to your previous duties."

Fū bowed curtly, and was the first to leave. Inoichi reluctantly followed not long afterward.

"Now," Sarutobi began, "How is Naruto?"

Usagi was a little intrigued to discover that the Hokage seemed to personally know the boy. Sarutobi was staring at her expectantly, expecting her to answer him first, so she obliged.

"He's fine for now. He'd been sick for a day or two, perhaps longer, and the recent storm didn't help, but he has a remarkable immune system. I barely had to do anything..." Usagi paused as she recalled Naruto's condition. The boy was stubborn and resilient, she could tell just by watching him fight off his fever in his sleep. She knew at once that he was the kind of kid that wouldn't give up without a fight, and she admired him for it. Shaking her head slightly, she continued, "I'd treated him, and watched him for about three hours before I decided he had better chances in a hospital—just to be safe."

"Seiya mentioned you had a bit of trouble getting him in…" Sarutobi added flippantly.

Usagi pursed her lips. "Well, yes, but that was just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding that was all that old hag's fault," Seiya quipped.

Usagi shot him a withering look, but quickly returned her gaze to the Hokage, her expression softening instantly as her eyes met the old man's. "It seemed that Togi-san knew Naruto-chan, but they were not in very good terms. She'd refused to admit him, at first."

Sarutobi sighed. "Ah, some of the older generation still seems to hold a grudge against that poor boy."

"Why?" Usagi asked, frowning. "Is he a delinquent or something?"

Sarutobi smiled cryptically. "Or something," He said, dismissive, and Usagi knew then not to pry any further. "But, at any rate, I want to thank you for your compassion, Usagi-chan. Not many people would stand up for Naruto-kun the way you had. You're a fine example of the good in this village."

Usagi blushed. It was quite possibly the highest praise anyone had ever given her—and from the Hokage, no less! She felt increasingly humbled by those words.

Seiya stared at Usagi's sheepish expression, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

The Hokage was right. Usagi had a particular light about her, a purity that was rare among ninjas, much less kunoichi. Seiya was a sensor, and though he was arguably incomparable at that particular skill, it didn't take a sensor to notice the unique warmth in Usagi's chakra. That light had attracted him to the flower shop the other day—her bright, welcoming aura had felt so familiar, so powerful, he couldn't help himself when he'd shamelessly spoken to her in spite of the imposing presence of her overprotective father. And now, having watched her when she'd taken care of Naruto earlier only proved what Seiya already knew.

"Usagi, you're dismissed," Sarutobi said, and then turned his attention to Seiya, "But I'm afraid that you must stay for a little while longer. I'd like you to give me a brief report of this incident, seeing as it was an official mission ordered out by Inoichi."

Seiya sulked, "You mean paperwork? I'm no good with that, sir—usually, Taiki-kun handles that stuff."

Sarutobi chucked. "It's an oral report, no need to worry. I'm not too fond of paperwork, either."

Usagi laughed gently at their exchange, but bowed and politely excused herself, "Thank you, Hokage-sama." She turned to leave and headed for the exit.

"See ya later, Odango-chan," Seiya called out as she reached the door.

Usagi's hand was on the doorknob, and it took quite a bit of self-restraint to stop herself from whirling around and punching him for the demeaning pet name. If it weren't for the Hokage's presence, she would've gladly hit him in the gut.

She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, miffed. How could a boy be so _infuriating_, and yet so charming at the same time? She couldn't decide whether she wanted to befriend him or _strangle_ him.

Shaking her head, Usagi pushed herself off of the door and began her trek downstairs to meet her father. Vaguely, she decided she'd bring Naruto flowers the next time she visited him—if she survived the wrath of her parents, that is.

…

* * *

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The **Yarrow** flower can mean _healing_.

_Baba_ means hag in Japanese.

**A/N:** Well, that didn't take nearly as long as the last chapter. xD Only a little over a month, which is quite an improvement, I hope. Thank you to all of you who reviewed, it helped get this chapter going. The fact that you guys still read this story at all is my inspiration! :D

If you're confused about the beginning of the chapter, this exchange takes place before the Hokage plays hooky and visits the hospital. :P Then afterwards the scene cuts to the present, in which Usagi has already treated Naruto. If you're wondering what happened to Naruto, his cuts and injuries from the other day got infected and it gave him a fever.

Introducing more minor and major characters! Giving a little more character development for Seiya! He's an ANBU ninja by day and a celebrity by night (preferably during festivals, where he sings in a boy band with Taiki and Yaten). XD Fighting evil by daylight and winning love by moonlight! XDD

And if you're wondering, Fu Yamanaka is an actual Naruto character. He's an ANBU member of Root, Danzo's secret black ops team. Now, I'm aware that Root uses codenames, but for the sake of this fic, let's pretend that Fu is his real name. :I In this fic, he's 17 and has only just recently been initiated into Root, so he's still in training.

Also, I can't remember where I read this, but the Yamanaka clan is capable of mind-reading. :I However, I took some creative liberties and made their telepathy capable only between blood relatives, otherwise a Yamanaka would have to touch a person's head with their hands to see/hear what the other is thinking. And did I mention that the mind-reading/telepathy is a little painful to Yamanka members who don't frequently use this power? Because they do. XD Usagi doesn't read other peoples minds, even if they are family, because she thinks it's unfair and impersonal (unless it is absolutely necessary and important). She's a more outspoken, hands-on type of person, anyway. However, she's also really good at mentally blocking other Yamanakas from reading her mind, because not everyone respects the privacy of others like she does (i.e _her parents and Ino_).

Next chapter will have Itachi/Usagi moments, I promise. D:

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BIG thanks to **Gloriana the Younger**, **Kazukimi**, **Kabayashi Koemi**, **The Mello**, **Fire Dolphin**, **Princesakarlita411**, **Chaney2250**, **deathstar**, **Sesshy's Mistress**, **serenity wayne**, **devafiend**, **chaos**, **zodiac1231**, and **IceHaze**. =)

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P.S.

To **The Mello**: Haha, I understand. Never trust public computers. :I That's how my DeviantART account was nearly hijacked. Thank you for the insightful questions. I can answer most of your questions easily enough right off the bat, but I won't, because it'd technically be spoilers. ;) At any rate, thank you for still reading! I'm touched and honored that you're enjoying it so far!

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